How 'on demand' printing can benefit your business

Although digital 'on demand' printing has only been around for a few years it has revolutionised the print industry and changed the way businesses promote themselves. It's responsible for slashing the cost of printing, reducing turnaround times, practically eliminating wastage and enabling businesses to approach customers with highly targeted (and therefore highly effective) marketing messages. How? Let me explain...

Until only a few years ago, full colour printing was expensive. Most of the expense was down to the time consuming and costly process of setting up a traditional 'lithographic' printing press. These set-up costs meant that it simply wasn't economical to print a few copies of a document, economies of scale dictated that you had to order in bulk: usually many hundreds or even many thousands of copies.

The lengthy set-up process also meant that delivery schedules would typically be around a couple of weeks. If you ran out of an important document you had a long wait ahead of you so most people ordered far more than they needed... just in case. As a result, stock rooms were often overflowing with dusty, out of date literature only fit for the recycling bin.

Luckily those days are over. Welcome to the brand spanking new world of digital print!

A digital printing press works in a similar way to your desktop printer. A computer file is sent directly from a PC to the printing press and within a few seconds out pops the first copy. Although the press operator will often need to adjust a few settings to ensure accurate alignment and colour reproduction, in comparison to a conventional press it's a walk in the park! Gone are the days of set-up charges running to a couple of hundred pounds.

As a result, there's no longer any need to order in bulk: you can order exactly the number you need. Great! But how could that benefit you and your organisation? Actually, in several ways:

• Ordering 'on demand' means that you're not paying for extra copies that you don't need. Turnaround times for digital printing are fast - typically around 3 working days but sometimes faster - so you can order just what you need, when you need it.
• You'll be doing your bit for the environment. Not only will you throw away less literature, digital printing produces very little waste (unlike the lithographic process which even today results in a fair amount of waste).
• You can free up space in your storeroom for more important things. Like novelty mousemats and those cute little critters you stick to the side of your monitor.
• The information you provide to your customers can be bang up to date. On demand printing allows you to update prices, technical data, contact details or whatever as soon as they change (bet you'll miss those long hours sticking little labels over out-of-date information won't you?!)
• For the first time you can now produce several different versions of the same document, each one customised with a slightly different message. Why? Well, consider a company that manufactures cushioned knee protectors. They have many target audiences: gardeners, construction workers, decorators, carpet fitters, DIY enthusiasts... the list goes on. By customising their message "our new knee protector - specially designed for gardeners" and using a relevant photograph, the promotion will grab the attention of the target audience and evoke a far greater response.
• You can afford to test your message before you release it to the masses. Before ordering the full quantity you require, print a relatively small number. Then analyse the response and amend your offer as required.
• Finally, any marketeer will tell you that special offers can dramatically increase response rates. On demand printing allows you update the closing date of your offer on a regular basis so that your customers must act now, preventing them from putting your advert to one side and forgetting about it.

Don't get me wrong, conventional lithographic printing still has its uses. Once the lengthy set-up process has been completed, the cost per copy is much lower than digital processes, making litho ideal for longer runs. However, in my experience most companies have now woken up to the benefits of on demand printing and rarely opt for massive print runs. Instead, they use the services of a digital print specialist to produce little but often, refining, updating and tailoring their messages as they go.