25 Oct Improving performance with variable data printing
Inkjet is back with VDP (short for Variable Data Printing): the latest development in printing technology! Andi and Canon have joined forces merging inkjet and VDP technology into one cost-effective and flexible production line. Their goal is to reduce paper waste and to increase response rate. From now on, print is an excellent medium for targeted communications.
Looking back…
Inkjet rotation once was a technique that was mainly suitable for processing financial statements, invoices or pay slips. Thanks to latest developments, offset and toner printing now have an innovative and industrious brother. “Inkjet has been around for quite a while,” says Maarten Plug of Canon, “but thanks to improvements in capacity, productivity and – above all – quality, inkjet offers great benefits that perfectly match today’s communication needs. Inkjet is especially suited for high volumes of good print quality, but with variable content.”
Inkjet rotation enabled targeted communication
VDP makes it possible to personalize print queues and to adapt them to individual needs. By adjusting the message or content continuously, communicating with a specific target group becomes feasible. “The great advantage of inkjet is that large quantities of print product can be different for each copy. For example, you could print dissimilar reader’s names on the first page of books or you could address the foreword of a catalog to any individual recipient. All this with diminutive expenses. By exploiting data in a smart way, companies can set up segmented communications.
Standard mailbox advertising is a good example, as folders could be tailored solely to the receiver. A family with two teenagers will probably have no need for a Pamper advertisement. Thanks to VDP, it is now possible to receive advertisement that is relevant to you only, covering just one page A4 instead of 16. This not only increases the attention and effectiveness of the advertisement; it also saves lots of paper. Certain applications that previously were too expensive, are now within achievable reach thanks to VDP.”
Faster lead time, 100% print control and zero warehousing
Variable Data Printing also has many advantages on the production side. “The print line that we’ve assembled with Andi is quite unique. By combining two Canon inkjet printers with an extensive part of post-processing by Müller Martini, Andi can now turn a blank roll of paper into a finished product without any extra maneuvers. A finished product that has also been checked mechanically on quantity and contents. This reduces lead time significantly. Because many time-consuming operations are taken on by the machine, prints can now be delivered to the customer within 24 hours, instead of the previously standard two-week delivery time.
This makes the printing process much more flexible. Customers no longer have to hold large stocks, which – in addition to cost and lead-time reduction – also saves paper waste. For example, manuals are usually ordered by pallets, which often results in them being outdated before the stock runs out. The same goes for brochures and product catalogs. Thanks to on-demand printing, customers can now simply send updated print jobs to Andi when they need new product and have the up-to-date print product delivered very quickly. Less actions, lower costs, no more (partial) stocks and hardly any waste. VDP offers faster and up-to-date communication products with excellent quality.”
Offset vs. print
Is this the end for offset printing? “No, definitely not. There will always be a market for high-quality offset printing. If you want to print millions of copies of Harry Potter, it will still be paramount to print offset, but there definitely is a growing market suited for inkjet printing. We are increasingly receiving positive feedback from the (graphic) market, stating quality of inkjet printing is not an issue anymore. In other words: it’s unassumingly good enough. Andi will be glad to advise those interested on which of their products are suited for production with this new ‘lean-and-mean’-form of production as no other. Use it to your advantage!”