Inkjet’s Age mail is not only about printing and fi nishing, but also how it moves the postal system. “Some of our customers, when they considered Ricoh Pro VC60000, not only tested the printing, but also sent it back to themselves to see how eff ective the ink was in staying in place and not getting scratched,” Wong said. Advantages over Offset While inkjet does present some challenges, it also off ers a slew of advantages. For one, designers are no longer limited by web off set’s cylinder cutoff . “Th ey can do oddball sizes they couldn’t before; they don’t have to worry about cylinder cutoff ,” said Johannes. “Any challenges with inkjet are made up with its ability to do variability,” added Johannes. “Every piece can be diff erent; in terms of off ers, images can be swopped out. We can put the direct mail in an optimized mailstream, same size and shape, with completely diff erent content.” Th is past February, one of IWCO’s customers sent out a direct mail piece with 127 diff erent versions—diff erent text with diff erent off ers and diff erent products highlighted. Its customers see a 50 to 150 percent lift in response, depending on the analytics used. “Inkjet has opened up diff erent areas of creativity that designers can tap into,” said Johannes. “For our customers, we are thinking about what they can do from a marketing or design standpoint, not what they can’t do.” “We have got to get the print providers to be more proactive, and, as manufacturers, we have to take a more proactive role in leading that charge, getting the info out to our customers and our customers’ customers,” said Wong. For the Ricoh Pro 7100 cut-sheet series, Ricoh developed tools for print providers to take to their customers; not only to show them capabilities, but also to provide templates to create fi les. Th e information is available free to Ricoh customers. “We demonstrate diff erent print applications and show ‘how to’s,’” said Wong. “White papers and presentations are available and empower our customers with knowledge that they can take to their customers. Th is is a partnership; if you design a piece with a lot of crazy stuff , just know it will take extra time and eff ort to make sure it stays in tolerance to reproduce output.” It’s critical that the print shop employees, from customer service to sales reps to the designer, print operator, and bindery staff , have a keen understanding of the diff erences in the print processes, and what they off er. So while off set delivers a high level of print quality and an unlimited range of paper choices, with inkjet, the benefi ts are centered around the technology – customized messaging, quick turnaround times, content fl exibility, and improved time-to-market. Digital Finishing Solutions. Find this article at PrintingNews.com/12240076 Print is always on the move. In dynamic markets, printers need to adapt to new conditions. This is manroland web systems’ focus: You, your business, and your future. Our finishing and workflow solutions for digital printing enable you to develop profitable business models for digital newspaper and book production. manroland web systems Inc., Lisle/IL. www.manroland-web.com For more information, visit PrintingNews.com/10006536 PrintingNews®com September 2016 ® Printing News 27
Printing_News_September_2016
To see the actual publication please follow the link above