Software - VDP

In-plant managers had two opportunities to mingle at the recent PRINT 09 trade show in Chicago. IPG and the In-Plant Printing and Mailing Association each held a separate session for in-plants. Both attracted more than 50 attendees, many from university and insurance in-plants.

Once their digital color presses are up and running, in-plants often discover a few things they wish they had known ahead of time. We asked six managers to tell us what they learned and what they wished they had done differently.

OK, so it took a while, but here's a quick look at the highlights of last year's IPMA conference in Tunica, Miss.

PRESIDENT DWIGHT D. Eisenhower had a dream of developing a program that would promote international understanding and friendship. So in 1956, Eisenhower founded People to People, basing the organization on his idea that direct contact between ordinary citizens from different parts of the world can encourage cultural understanding and world peace. Eight U.S. Presidents have served as the honorary chairman of People to People International.

IN THESE tumultuous economic times, organizations are looking for innovative ways to cut costs, maintain customer loyalty and increase business. Unfortunately, in their zeal to save money, some organizations overlook the true value of their in-plant and instead try to outsource this valuable resource. To stay in business, in-plants must transform themselves into profit tools. By offering new services—such as variable data printing (VDP) and personalized cross-media communications—your in-plant can increase its value and become an even more integral part of your organization’s core business.

MAY DAY, observed as a holiday in his native England, proved to be a busy day for Tony Seaman. The director of Printing and Graphic Services at the University of Mississippi put the in-plant’s new five-color Kodak NexPress 2500 digital press into service on May 1, leaving little time to dance around the Maypole. Seaman, born in Binbrook, England, just outside of Oxford, admittedly deviated a bit from the in-plant’s norm with the addition of this machine. Traditionally utilizing Xerox equipment exclusively on the digital side of shop, Seaman decided on the Kodak digital press after comparing its features to that of the Xerox

SINCE THE development and maturation of digital presses, the concept of variable data printing (VDP) has become a reality. With today’s digital presses and software options it is possible to customize virtually every element on a page for every sheet that comes off of a digital press. The level of sophistication that can be achieved with today’s hardware and software options is mind-boggling. The hot buzz term right now is “One-to-one Marketing.” Sending a personalized or customized message to an individual that has more relevance or meaning to them has proven to be a more effective way of marketing. Personalization can help break

DIGITAL PRINTING has created new opportunities for print producers and print buyers alike. One of the biggest of these opportunities is personalized communication to an individual. Digital printing is the output end of customer relationship management and comprehensive databases. When customer and prospect information is used intelligently and creatively, it engenders larger numbers of calls, clicks and visits. It translates workflow into cash flow. There are 40 primary market segments in which business entities operate, from ad agencies to wholesale food (see list at end of story), and each segment has unique marketing, promotional and communication channels and approaches. The Technology Digital

THE MEANS for companies to communicate with customers expand on an almost daily basis. The Internet, cell phones, movie theaters, kiosks and dozens of other outlets have joined print, radio and TV as popular methods of delivering ads and messages. The market research firm Yankelovich quantifies the impact of the growing array of communication methods this way: consumers encounter between 3,500 and 5,000 marketing messages a day, or three to four times as many as in the 1970s. In this environment, conventional wisdom would suggest that no single medium would prevail…and certainly not the one that has been around the longest. In fact,

THE MARKETING budget in corporate America typically falls victim to intense scrutiny. In a results-driven age, the chief marketing officer feels intense pressure from executive officers, boards, shareholders and customers to deliver measurable results. As a consequence, marketers are always asking questions like these: • How can I be as efficient as possible in my marketing efforts so I don’t waste time and money? • How can I make sales personnel more productive in prospecting and closing business? • How do I keep the sales funnel filled with qualified leads? • How can I more effectively get clients to come to me instead of