Use Digital Printing To Optimize Your Print and Fulfillment Program by Scott Perry

In my previous blog, I listed three ways to reduce waste in your print budget. Perhaps the most important of these is through effective print management and making good use of digital printing services - an area most organizations are still struggling with, and a topic that comes up in most customers meetings. I can go on for hours on this topic but I thought I would summarize a couple of key points below. So what's the real opportunity? I break it down into 3 buckets. Digital print:

Reduces waste created by obsolete materials

Speeds time to market with new content, changed content, and eliminates backorders

Enables you to create more compelling personalized content with variable data printing

So in summary, you reduce cost, speed time to market, and create more compelling content. It seems like a no-brainer, doesn't it? In reality digital printing isn't right for everything you produce. If you need a large quantity of a static piece - say, 10,000 for a new product launch or trade show - offset is a better choice. Digital production costs are relatively fixed, so they're better for shorter runs. They can also be substituted for an offset piece when stock is reduced to a pre-determined level, to avoid out-of-stock situations and heavy surcharges for rush reprints.

Before we take a look at where digital print might make sense for you, let's take a look at the two models - Print-on-demand and replenish-on-demand.

Print-on-Demand

True POD is just-in-time production. You print the exact quantity you need when you need it. This eliminates storage and insurance costs, since every piece is shipped hot off the press, directly to the recipient.

Equally important, POD eliminates the problem of obsolescence. If something changes that affects your collateral - like a new product feature or price change - you just change the pertinent information in the digital file. Then, the next time you print the piece, it's accurate and up to date.

Additionally, print-on-demand programs open the opportunity to create more effective content through personalization. Studies show that customer engagement increases as much as 400% when you customize materials with names, locations, product details and even pictures, to make the piece more relevant to recipients. Who wouldn't want a four-fold increase in response?

Replenish-on-Demand

With replenish-on-demand, materials are produced in small batches - as few as 25 to a few hundred pieces at a time, depending on your usage patterns. This model is more typically used by offset printing companies who purchase digital printing equipment to keep their offset customers from going elsewhere for small runs.

Since printers make money when they're printing, they want their equipment running as many hours as possible. So they schedule small, but regular runs on their digital printers, rather than producing true print-on-demand, to maximize their return-on-investment on the equipment.

While the quantities produced under this model are relatively small, you may still have some waste or pay for more print than you actually use during a given billing period, as well as storage fees.

Content loading

Please enable javascript.

--

How do you get started?

So when should you use digital print? Which model is best for you? And how do you get started? The first step is to understand your current program and how your materials are being used. Then put together a plan to tackle the low hanging - where you see low inventory turns, collateral that becomes obsolete, and all means eliminate those backorders. Then the fine tuning begins. And look for ways to leverage the technology to make your content more compelling.

But then the next question is who do you turn to for help? As an expert in integrating production, inventory management and distribution; Iron Mountain fulfillment services is ideally positioned to help you optimize your print program using the right mix of printing technologies. Our goal is to provide the best combination of services to match your company's needs, rather than urging you to produce more materials than you can really use. We help our customers save millions of dollars every year. I encourage you to contact us to see how you too can create more efficient and effective programs.

LINK:	http://blogs.ironmountain.com/2014/service-lines/marketing-production-...
	See more stories from ironmountain

Most recent headlines