Zeitgeist

Can print really get its value across to marketeers when it comes to comms campaigns? Lesley SImpson reports from the second day of Cross Media, where the topic was hotly pursued.

There were plenty of wise words spoken in the Print and Innovation Theatre when I attended on the second day of Cross Media recently, and what’s more, there were plenty of printers in the audience to hear them.

There's trouble ahead in the wide-format supply chain according to Time Greene, Consultant at InfoTrends, which is researching a report called 'Disruptive Supply Chain Strategies' that will be published in 2014. Here's his heads up.

There are multiple dynamics at work in the wide- format digital printing supply chain that InfoTrends believes will result in a big shake-up. On the one hand, wide-format print buyers frequently wait until the last minute to place their print orders. You already know that print buyers also often shop for the best price and service, so the printers that can do jobs for the lowest price and the fastest turnaround are the ones that will win the work. 

Can visual QR codes help print cross over into the digital world? Nevo Alva thinks so. He’s co-founder and CEO of Visualead, which aims to aid engagement between the offline consumer and the online brand via this latest QR development.

When the barcode, developed in 1952, was first used as a solution to standardise grocery shopping, label military supplies, and track packages and shipments, it was considered sophisticated technology. But it quite quickly came to be perceived as incredibly mundane and out-dated. Enter the QR code.

Your kit and consumables suppliers have a vested interest in helping you succeed. So do you use them to best effect in helping grow your business? Tim Greene of InfoTrends thinks you should demand more. 

It may sound simplistic, but we [at InfoTrends] believe that there is a great case to be made that wide-format printing companies of all size could be taking a more aggressive approach to business growth and development by leveraging the resources of their suppliers.

Can it be done? That was the premise of a Jet Set Digital Conference panel discussion at Fespa 2013. Here’s what transpired…

How can we futureproof the printing industry, the wide-format sector in particular, and the print businesses operating therein? That was the premise of the Jet Set Digital Conference panel discussion, chaired by Image Reports editor Lesley Simpson, on the third day of Fespa 2013.

Is Web-to-MIS is the way forward? Emerson Welch, marketing manager at Clarity Software, argues the point for such development.

Get integrated, sell more. It’s a simple phrase, but one that’s resonating with forward-thinking printers as they strive for new ways to reduce costs, increase output and win more deals at top margin. The Web provides the perfect platform to make it happen, which is why 94% of surveyed Clarity customers want to use it to expand their businesses.

Why Phil Phillips of Colouration is so enthusiastic about the spot gloss UV capability of the company’s new Oce 480XT. Should you be enthused too?

“Spot varnish application is creating a huge level of interest with prospective clients and allowing us to talk to new customers and offer a point of difference, so it's a real winner for us.” So says Phil Phillips of Colouration, which began putting work through its new Oce 480XT flatbed printer with varnish and roll-feed at the beginning of March. 

… and where else 3D printing is likely to impact. We muse over the possibilities for wide-format print providers as the technology gains ground.