Variable Data Printing

Definition: Variable information, as defined by Adobe, is a digital print run where each printed page is different and personalised because the page content relates to customer information in a database. This type of information is also referred to as Personalisation, 1:1 marketing, Variable Data Printing (VDP), Versioning, Direct Marketing, Mass Customisation, and others. Personalised documents are created by extracting names, addresses, purchase information or other account data from records in a database. The data fields such as last name, post code, and even images, are called variables because they change, or vary, for each record.


What is it used for? It is used mainly for marketing purposes, to really personalize a document to identify with customer needs. It can also be used in a more simple way, as a mail merge, for example printing postcards, brochures & Leaflets with names and addresses.


At What Point do we do it? Variable Data Printing is a printing process.


How do we do it? There are a variety of Variable Data Printing (VDP) applications in the marketplace offering a broad range of capabilities. They range from mail merge applications to multi-user enterprise systems. Some are simply a plugin to Quark (Darwin, DesignMerge) or InDesign (uCreate & uDirect components of XMPie) while others are standalone applications (Lytrod, PageFlex), web-based (iWay), with multiple components for design, database logic and production (XMPie). Common output formats include XML, VIPP, VPS, PPML or optimized PostScript and PDF. Output can be in the form of email, dynamic web pages, or a file to be printed.
The VDP applications are designed to meet various needs. For example, we use XMPie which is geared toward cross media Direct Mail or one-to-one marketing and Printshop Mail allows an easy way to create mail. Another application for mainframe users is Exstream Dialogue, which is designed to build transactional documents for statements and billing traditionally associated with health care or financial services industries.


More about: Variable Data Printing… see our blog designing for variable data printing

 

Digital: Variable Data Printing & On-Demand Print

Digital press technologies can print a different version of every page in a print run. This has promoted the development of a raft of new print applications, as buyers and consumers start to demand new classes of printed products. Much of this work is produced on demand, as and when people want it. This control over content and its immediacy differentiates these new forms of print from conventional print, and is fuelling new applications for the medium.

In a variable data print run each page is different; on-demand print is print created and produced on request.
A digital press’s Digital Front End is designed to optimise on demand and variable data production, exploiting database technologies to create customised variable data print. On-demand and variable print are often produced in relatively short runs however; this is not always the case as can be seen with transactional work.

 

Three categories of variable data printing

Variable data output falls into one of three categories, some of which are produced in very short runs and some of which are not. The boundaries between the categories are starting to merge as barriers between target markets blur and as the technology for managing data and printing it get more sophisticated. Marketing professionals now appreciate the power of customised print and the quality of print produced on high speed digital colour presses is rising, so these categories are not absolute.

The most basic form of variable data print is a simple personalised document, one where the recipient’s name is digitally printed onto print that has been printed conventionally. Examples are brochures or magazines personalized with the recipient’s name and address. Transactional print, where every part of the content caries according to the purchases and payments of the recipient, is probably the largest class of variable data output. It is the most mature and familiar to most people and includes such things as utility bills, credit card statements, purchase orders, insurance documents, contracts and the like. The print is highly specific to the receiver, but most of this type of work is printed monochrome onto pre-printed sheets produced on a conventional press. Colour use and production with a digital press is rising and advertising messages are being introduced to transactional documents.

Complex variable data colour print is increasingly common used for one-to-one marketing or for the bespoke print. Promotional printing and marketing materials of all sorts can be designed to carry personalised messages including brochures, catalogues, insets in magazines, direct mail and even press releases. Such projects require careful and thorough data preparation; however they can yield extremely high response rates. Response rates for variable data print can be used as high as 80%, for very targeted work, and this is much higher than the 2% expected for static direct mail or promotional and product collateral print. Bespoke print, often initiated from a website, is becoming increasingly attractive for consumers, especially for calendars. The use of web-to-order print is creating new markets for variable data print.

 

Investment in IT

Variable data content requires considerable investment into information technology (IT) and the resources, especially human, to manage databases and websites efficiently. It requires close knowledge of customers, their buying habits and patterns and their interests, and a mechanism for developing this information over time. The value of a fully variable publication is in its value to the end-user or in the increased likelihood of a positive response, factors which can only be assured if the customer data is accurate. Because of the high response rates and relevancy to readers, print buyers are willing to pay substantially higher unit costs for variable data output, particularly for very short run high quality jobs produced on demand.

 

See our blog for more information

Designing for variable data printing

Variable Data Printing - New PDF Formats