GraphExpo 2011 – The future of printed communications.
GraphExpo is the show to get the news on printing, finishing, Output Management and print services. Just a few months before DRUPA its a challenge for the vendors to reveal what new things to announce or withhold. The GraphExpo show and conference showed its value through lots of new things. GraphExpo was also not on its own. There was also an Xplor conference and many other user group events.
As with OnDemand earlier this year, many of the presentations and key-note sessions started with the tough economy. The trends in mortgages, unemployment and low birthrates were all used as a comparison or reason for the troubles the printing industry is in. The number of small printing businesses that have stopped, the less units sold in black and white and the mergers and acquisitions in the Output Management software industry, all speak for itself.
However this GraphExpo was not all about misery. There where some great highlights to share and also opportunities for new business. After a first day at GraphExpo the list of highlights is already impressive.
- From Web-to-Print to Mobile-to-Print.
- Inkjet high volume presses
- QR codes
- Cloud services in workflow
- SAAS solutions for webshops
- Poster Cards
- Envelop printing – mail streets
From Web-to-Print to Mobile-to-Print
The mobile device is used by many. SmartPhones alrady have a market percentage of more then 50%. This gives the oportunity for changing the traditional web ordering environments to a mobile ordering environment. The trend of less PC sales as opposed to tablet sales is feeding the ground for changing the traditional order process. Mobile to print can be done in various options. The most obvious is the opportunity to print a document which is on the Smartphone and have it printed on a device at the library, McDonalds or Business Center. The document doesn;t even need to be on the device, but can be reached through DropBox, Office365, iTunes or any other fils sharing option. The second option is for the ordering of prints through a Mobile app. Just order a personalized greeting card through the mobile app.
Inkjet high volume presses
Inkjet and continues feed is coming to such a economic and quality level that its ready for full-colour personalized documents and statements. With the (new) machines from Xerox, Oce, Pitney Bowes and others the option to transfer traditional black and white to color becomes a viable option. Not only an option from a technology perspective but also from a business perspective. Sending an e-mail with an attachment is much, much cheaper then a paper document in an envelop with a stamp. However the change that the receiver will really read that document is far less then the paper document. Now is the time to get the advantage of being the first with documents that contribute to the image of teh company and support the business goals of revenue growth. The remark here is to think before you do. Get your Document Communication Strategy in place, else using ful-colour document presses is a waste of time and money.
QR codes
QR codes are everywhere. Every piece of merchandise is carrying a QR code or Facebook like icon. Restaurants have it prominent on there window shops, coffee cups have QR code to read about the ecology and vendors use the QR codes for attracting readers to their website. The real explosion of QR codes is in the usage of them related to promotions. Scan the code and get a 10% discount of a specific item in the shop. The usage of a QR code can be simple. Convert your homepage URL into a QR code. However, have you tried opening your homepage on a iPhone or BlackBerry?
Cloud services in workflow
More and more services are being moved to the cloud. Ricoh started with an Automated Document factory solution in the Cloud. Its InfoPrint ProcessDirector can now be used through a Managed Services agreement. All the software is running somewhere and connects through Internet (VPN) with the devices. The next step is most likely that Rico will not only manage the 99,99% uptime of the software but will also watch the progress and have a monitoring service that provides pre-maintenance updates.
SAAS solutions for webshops
A print service provider without a webshop should not be an option anymore. Numerous solutions are now available for every small or large print service provider to start a customer relationship through the Internet. These solutions are based on SAAS or in the Cloud. The printer can make arrangements with the software provider to get charged on a per order basis. The configuration is done through simple set-up’s and templates. A solution not only viable for commercial print shops but even for a corporation to “commercialize” its facilities.
Poster Cards
An interresting option in getting the attention of the recipient is a thick poster type card. The thickness is such that it never could be printed duplex. The solution is half the thickness, printing it simplex and glue the sides together. There is now such a paper type with a special glue layer on one side that printing on every high quality colour engine is possible. After the printing the A3 size paper is folded and glue-ed back to back. A card that will definitely track the attention of the recipient.
Envelop printing – mail streets
The last highlight of the day was the mailstreet from Pitney Bowes. With a length of some 60 meters an impressive machinery. It starts with a roll-fed colour print on A4 size. The end is a set of documents in a fully personalized envelop. During the processing the roll is cut, the documents are folded and specific inserts are added. Near the end a envelop is created by using a roll-fed blank paper and folding it to an envelop. The last piece in the chain is the full-colour print of the envelop. Printig of logo, address and marketing are added on a personlized basis. All tracked and traced, without errors and impressive speeds.
All solutions highlight that there are enough innovations going on in printed communication. Printed communication which still has the best option to grab the attention of the receiver. Independent of the age of the receiver. Printing is not dead, we just need to learn to adopt faster to the changes in the culture. It’s not the tough economies to blame.
Best regards, Oscar Dubbeldam
