Print Buying Direct

Digital pre-press part 2 – 23rd September 2009

Heading for the web (Web to Print)

Such cross media applications will be increasingly popular for digital printers in the coming year. Already we have seen many UK digital printers embrace the web to print concept, primarily for digital file delivery, proofing and general production applications. The nest step in the emergence of web to print as an on-demand print production model is the development of dedicated applications that combine quality controlled colour production workflow technologies, the Internet and imaginative multi-channel media production.

Of course, interesting web developments are not only relevant for print media, and this is something that forward thinking digital printers should not ignore. Across the media landscape content publishers are coming up with new ways to exploit our digital infrastructure and the Internet. Think BBC iPlayer and the relationship between broadcast television, digital data delivery and access, and the printed word and you should start to get the idea.

Variable challenges

And, ideas are what pre-press for digital printers are all about. Pre-press is about managing digital data as efficiently as possible for a given output context, and for digital printers this means variable data print management. Variable data use within the print market is starting to grow, especially for printers working transactional print and direct mail. Variable data printing technologies are fuelling the development of new printing applications, such as bespoke photo albums and collateral materials for consumers such as family stationary and calendars. Rather more interesting from the digital printer’s point of view is the addition of promotional content to transactional documents, such as bills and statements. The so-called transpromo market is starting to hot up and this will continue in the coming months as printers work with their customers to look at interesting ways of adding extra messages to their transactional documents.
Perhaps the biggest difficulty with developing variable data applications is the complexity of managing the data. The need to accurately output data cannot be underestimated so any digital printer wanting to develop ambitious variable data applications needs to invest in data management knowledge. Training in database management is key to providing customers with the resources they need to develop variable data applications and to helping them to get the most out of their digital print investments. It used to be about technology, but today investment for digital printers has to include investment into knowledge.
Fortunately companies such as Canon and HP have set up programmes to help printers develop business models that exploit the technology without too much risk. We can expect to see more such programmes emerging this year, particularly those that help digital printers to decide how to route jobs; to a digital press or to a conventional offset press based on profitability of the workflow and the job. And for digital printers, profitability is what pre-press is all about.

Promo - look out for our forthcoming offers on Wall Calendars, Desk Calendars, Xmas Cards, Promotional Wall Calendars and CD Calendars.

For more information on printing and graphic design please see some of our recent blog articles;

• Offset Printing
• Print Production Management
• How to create a marketing plan incorporating promotional newsletters
• All you need to know about Digital Printing
• The Future of Printing
• Print Finishing
• Variable Data Printing
• ISO 12647 and Colour Management in Printing
• Pre-press – In Flight, Pre-Flight and Post-Flight
• Print, Paper and Recycling
• Design of the times – (Article reproduced from Printing World February 2009)
• Pre-press – 20 years of change
• Transactional and Direct Mail
• 7 Guidelines For Good Newsletter Printing
• Graphic Design
• Printing – Where in the world are we?
• Improving Your Response Rates to Leaflets, Flyers and Brochures
• HINTS & TIPS…The sales letter
• The History of Printing
• 10 Tips for Creatives in a Digital World
• Eight Easy Ways to Improve Digital Print Sales to Creative and Design Agencies
• Transactional and Variable data printing
• PUR or EVA? That is the question
• What you need to know about…… Perfect Binding
• What’s the point of Recycling Paper and Board?

For only £125 (plus VAT) for 2000 A4 full colour letterheads

Produced with the same care and attention that we always use. Because this offer is so popular we can benefit from the economies of scale and pass the savings on to you.

Every company needs Letterheads (headed paper), if designed and presented correctly, they can help reflect a
professional image.

• Full Colour letterheads
• 100gsm Fully Laser guaranteed paper
• Printed one side only
• Price includes delivery to one UK address

Prices are based on a print ready pdf being supplied.

Graphic Design Service available

If you need design please allow an additional £25 (plus VAT)

For more information or to place your order

Call 0870 950 8444

fill in our online form or email info@printbuyingdirect.co.uk Thanks for taking the time to check out our promotion. Please remember that this is for a short period only.

Our online Letterheads & Continuation Sheets are produced on High Quality 100gsm White Laser Guaranteed Letterhead Paper.

As always at www.PrintBuyingDirect.co.uk our Letterheads are of the highest quality, produced on a state of the art press. Because we are cost effective for small quantities as well as large, you never need to print more than you need. So you will never end up with any Letterheads containing details that are out of date.

Letterheads Specification

* Print: Printed in full colour on one or both sides
* Paper/Board: 100gsm Quality Laser Guaranteed Letterhead Paper
* Size: A4 (210mm x 297mm)
* Letterheads available on this offer ARE laser compatible.

We don’t just produce Letterheads – we can print pretty much anything!

e.g.Business Cards, Compliment Slips, Appointment Cards, Leaflets, Brochures, Promotional Desk Pads, Calendars and many more printed products.

For something truly special why not ask us about:

* Gold or Silver Foil Blocking – can be used to stunning effect with the right design
* Embossing – a more subtle effect for clean crisp Letterheads

See Part one, two and three of this blog – Printing – 20 years of change

See Part one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve and thirteen of – Pre-press – 20 years of change

See Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5 and Part 6 of our blogs on Direct Mail and Transactional Print

School Prospectus Made Easy and Print Buying Direct are trading names of The Printing House Ltd. The Print Buying Direct brand was originally set up to protect the quality name of The Printing House of Crewe and Nantwich, Cheshire, Uk – recognised throught the North of England as a quality printers. Now Print Buying Direct has established itself over the last two years and has become a quality brand in its own right with very competitive prices nationally. We hope that School Prospectus Made Easy will follow in the same fashion and become a popular brand in its own right.

Print Buying Direct is one of the Uk’s leading suppliers of graphic design and print, based in the Crewe and Nantwich area of Cheshire (UK) but supplying all of the UK & Ireland. See our websites for more information on graphic design, brochures, business cards, appointment cards, leaflets, flyers, pamphlets, posters etc

Please feel free to browse our print buying website and use it as a useful tool – we are adding new pages and offers every week. So keep popping back, subscribe to our printing blog, email info@printbuyingdirect.co.uk or call call 0870 950 8444.

For more information please see our websites – especially our Printing Glossary – Printing A to Z – this makes a really useful guide for designers, printers, print buyers, college students etc.

Don’t forget The Printing House also specialise in Printing for Schools, especially School Prospectus, Secondary School Prospectus, College Prospectus, Primary School Prospectus & Sixth Form Prospectus. We have a vast range of experience design and print of primary, secondary, 6th form, college and universtity prospectus. Visit our School Prospectus Made Easy website to see examples of our work and more about our products. Our customer testimonials webpage is constantly being added to – please stop by and see our reviews.

The perfect gift from www.printbuyingdirect.co.uk. Why not send family, friends or loved ones something special this Christmas, a bespoke personalised wall calendar featuring your own photographs. Holiday snaps, pets, children or someone’s hobby, let your imagination run wild!

Our calendars are selling like hot cakes at the moment, prices to sell, but with top notch presentation, we keep our prices keen by producing loads of them (economies of scale). The calendars are beautifully presented in either A4 or A3 format with a clear easy to use 2009 Calendar at the foot with your personalised images at the top. Printed on high quality glossy paper to bring the best out of your photographs.
They are also easy to create, with free to use templates which you just add your pictures to.
Order soon to get yours for Christmas or you’ll be sending socks again!