The market for digital printing is growing – slowly but surely

The missionary work is still going to spread the word of digital printing. The process of reorientation is a slow one, and again and again you hear people saying in amazement: “ I never realized all the things you can do with digital printing.” Of course it is still only a way of printing things, and not a world wonder, but if you are interested in variable data, short print runs, and speed, as well as world-wide distribution of production, and printing on demand-then digital production has a lot of arguments on its side.

In 2000, some four percent of all printed products in Europe were produced digitally. By 2010 the figure is expected to be about eleven percent. This is a dramatic increase for a method of printing aimed primarily at short runs.

Companies are increasingly going over to printing products in their own printing department as and when they need them. They choose a digital printing machine because the costs for colour printing are falling, and the machines are becoming much easier to operate. Four-colour digital printing is widely used for example to produce invoices confirmations, etc. but frequently so-called “real” printing jobs are also being carried out in-house, such as brochures, price lists, mailings and other advertising material, which would previously have been sent out to an extremal printing company.

This is also a consequence of the new generation of digital printing machines. These are faster, and deliver higher printing quality, while at the same time being easier to use. What the in-house printing departments still lack are the finishing options. There is still considerable scope here for the manufacturers of finishing equipment to come up with solutions that are easy to use at an acceptable price.

Despite all their attractions, there are barriers to the introductions of digital printing machines both in the graphics industry and in company printing departments. In order to be able to make full use of the potential of digital printing with variable data, most advertisers lack one essential tool – a fully developed customer database.

Particularly in the European countries it is very often the detail that causes the problems. Inadequate knowledge about database structures, lack of willingness on the part of the customers to provide information, and inadequate maintenance work on the database. Another particular problem in Europe is caused by the legal restrictions imposed by data protection legislation. The situation is very different in the United States, where the attitude to data protection is less restrictive and the customers are usually more understanding when it comes to answering questions.

Another barrier is the fact that advertising agencies, production people and print buyers often fail to realize the full potential of digital printing. And even when companies are already using digital printing, they do not always see where the Return on Investment is. The consequence is that a large proportion of printing jobs are still being produced as standard bulk offset orders, instead of producing individualized products in the quantities that are actually needed.

Digital printing seems predestined for a large number of print products and the sceptics are gradually becoming persuaded by the large numbers of success stories. But people still often claim that digital printing is simply too expensive. To be sure, the cost-per-copy for larger print runs in digital printing is higher than with offset printing. But a full comparison must take account of the individualization provided. Instead of producing thousands of identical mail shots or brochures which are sent out blindly to an undifferentiated target group, small numbers of highly individualized products can be targeted precisely at people with an interest in the offer being made. Higher response rates with lower costs and higher earnings are the arguments that will eventually prove persuasive.

Time alone will tell. But bombarded as they are from all sides with information and stimuli, customers only register advertising messages that are specially tailored to their requirements. The focus must increasingly be on Customer Relationship Marketing (CRM) and the resulting 1:1 communication. In this respect, digital printing really has much to offer. Printing of variable data, short-run colour, print-on-demand - and all this rapidly and in the best quality.

Source: “expressis verbis” by MAN Roland, Edition 2002

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