Some of the direct mail campaigns we manage and produce for clients involves full color digital printing — so let’s talk today about what exactly this print technology is.
As you can see above, a digital printing press is like a glorified copier machine. In technical terms, the process involves the reproduction of a digital image(s) on a physical surface like paper.
Unlike traditional printing — like offset printing — digital printing doesn’t require plates. As a result, the set-up costs are less making it more economical for short-run projects. More importantly, this enables very detailed personalization. i.e. every piece can be different…or the recipient’s name spelled out in the artwork like written in sand, etc.
From an environmental perspective, full color digital printing wastes less chemicals and paper because the set-up doesn’t involve adjusting the color, registration and positioning. Less paper is also wasted because digital printing is perfect for on demand projects — meaning, you only print what you need.
The two main downsides to digital printing, however, are quality and price. The quality is not yet up to par with traditional printing…but this is quickly changing. And second, the price on large-run projects is usually cost-prohibitive…but this too is improving.
If you have any questions, please let us know!
Have you heard about offset printing services, but you’re not really clear as to what offset printing is exactly? This blog post will help educate you on today’s most popular printing process.
In a nutshell, offset printing is where an image is transferred from a plate —> to a rubber blanket —> to paper. This process was discovered accidentally by Ira Washington Rubel in 1903.
Offset printing is usually combined with the lithographic process to take advantage of the repulsion of oil and water. The plate that contains the image (that makes contact with the ink roller) has sections of a water-based film that repels the ink — this film is used for the non-printing areas of the plate.
Offset printing (right now) is the most common print process for high-volume jobs because of the strong combination of quality and efficiency.
If you have any questions, please let us know!
Note: with marketing budgets being slashed due to the economy, more and more companies are looking to outsource their print production to a company like us (Ballantine). We noticed a surge in traffic to our blog using outsource-related terms. As a result, we updated the post below with additional info (11/3/08).
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There was an article in DM News about how Peapod, the online grocery delivery service, outsources their printing to save money and increase efficiency. Since we’re a print production company, we love to see stories like this.
On page 2 of the article, there was a special section that debated what was better: outsourcing or in-house printing. In a nutshell, do you hire staff to handle your direct mail print campaigns, or do you use a production company like us to handle it for you?
But first, there’s another angle that isn’t mentioned…
We have many clients that have a full production staff, and they still use us for their printing and mailing. They look at us as a printer, but one that partners up with them on the production of their projects. Our pricing saves them money and our support increases their project efficiency…plus, they now have two sets of production eyes watching their work.
The argument to this is, “well then we’ll be one removed from the actual work being produced.”
Well, yes and no. Yes, you are one removed from the actual plant printing your work. But a print production company that is good at what they do won’t make this an issue. They’ll get you involved in the job; they’ll work with you as a team; they’ll introduce you to new direct mail formats; and most importantly, they’ll help you get the job done right.
We even tell our clients that they can have direct contact with our printing plants if they want…but 99% of the time, this is the last thing they want to do.
So should you outsource your printing?
The answer to this question is going to vary from company to company. What follows is a basic outline and can of course vary based on the many many variables that exist…
Situation 1
If you have a small marketing staff and you’re dealing directly with the printing plants, getting pricing, working on the production of the projects…and you have other marketing responsibilities…then you are absolutely the perfect candidate to outsource your printing.
Situation 2
If you have a medium size marketing staff including 1 or 2 production people, you might be a good candidate for outsourcing…it really depends on how much direct mail you produce. If it’s 500,000 pieces and above, then your production staff would probably welcome the extra help with open arms. Less than this quantity and your production staff probably don’t need the extra help unless of course you find a production company that can deliver much better pricing.
Situation 3
If you are a large company with a full production staff, you most likely don’t need the extra support a production company can provide. One exception is if you have extremely complex projects that often vary in formats (#10, double postcard, 6×9, magalogs, etc.). Since production companies don’t own equipment, most can produce just about any format you need as well as give you ideas for new formats to test.
In Summary
If you are a company that is considering outsourcing your print, we recommend you gauge how busy your staff is. Do they seem overwhelmed? Do they obviously need more help? Are there other responsibilities that they should be attending to, but are neglecting because they don’t have the time?
If so, find a reputable print production company and price out your direct mail with them. If their pricing is the same, or better, then you might have found a great solution to giving your staff the help they need.
We’ve been doing direct mail production since 1966. If you’d like to speak with us, please contact us.
