Fresh but forgotten by some, this technology has got big answers for even bigger dilemmas.
David Howard's client had a problem. A marketing director for a local bank wanted brochures printed for all 20 of the financial institution's branches, but she needed the brochures to be personalized for each branch. In addition, she only wanted a few thousand brochures printed at a time because she did not want to be tied to one marketing message for an entire year. Fortunately, Howard, who happens to be the marketing manager for Victor Printing, Sharon, Pa., had an ace up his sleeve—the Indigo Ultrasream 2000.
Like its competitors in the digital printing arena—Heidelberg's Nexpress and Xeikon's DCP series—the UltraStream 2000, is a digital printing press which turns out variable data color printing. However, that is not all it does—it is also excellent for short-run applications and quick turnaround jobs. "You can see a lot of creative ideas come to fruition with short-run digital printing because it is cheaper than offset," lauded Howard.
Offset printing is less expensive than its digital alternative for most applications, but because the economies of digital printing allow printers to work without minimums or set-up and plate charges, distributors can offer jobs that were once unthinkable. Howard recalled a case in which a distributor won a client because of the press.
"The distributor needed six T-shirts, but her manufacturer wouldn't do less than 50. However, I was able to print the shirts at a lower cost," he said.
The UltraStream's ability to print on virtually any substrate is another characteristic that distributors can turn to their advantage. By using thermal transfers, Howard said Victor's digital press allows distributors to go beyond offering paper-based products and into the realm of promotional products.
Surely the technology of digital print has introduced distributors to a new realm of selling opportunities, he added.
