One of the big stories of 2005 was the way that universal copier/printers (UCPs) hit the mainstream. A fundamental point about these light production devices was the way that they facilitated the ability to economically print black & white and color on the same device. Now "universal" concept is moving to production printing.

At IPEX you will see vendors beginning to focus on making universal production an economic reality through service/supplies incentives and/or new product designs. A significant amount of monochrome volume is already being run on iGen3s because Xerox is making it economically feasible to do so. HP's recent announcement of improved monochrome speed and running cost for the Indigo 5000 make it the first true universal production device. Another interesting development has come from Océ with its VarioStream 9000 series, which was first introduced as a 1/1 device and whose capabilities have grown to support spot color and will ultimately support process color. Other vendors may pursue such scaleable product offerings to address users' needs for mixed color and black & white documents.

My question is this: What do you as print service providers think of this development? Is this an attractive concept and will it make a difference in your business?

Jim Hamilton
Director, On Demand Printing & Publishing Consulting Service
InfoTrends

Posted by Guest Blogger at 03:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

With IPEX just a few days away, more and more observers are starting to speculate on the health of the event. The same thing happens with every show, but the scrutiny seems more intense on the biggest annual industry shows.

Will it be as big as it has been in the past? How many will attend? These are the questions that most of us focus on, but the answers do not provide a true measure of the success of any show today. In the current environment, fewer companies send a large group of attendees, electing instead to send one or two key people to do the necessary research. The days of traveling to a trade show on an expense account as a perk are long gone.

So in a few weeks, as we put IPEX behind us, I hope that exhibitors and attendees will judge it on quality instead of quantity. The same holds true for On Demand and Graph Expo later in the year. We can't use the free-spending late '90s as a yardstick in today's economy.

Keith Hevenor
Editor
Electronic Publishing

Posted by Guest Blogger at 05:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

In his March 24th WhatTheyThink.com column, printing industry consultant Dr. Joseph Webb wrote "marketplaces set prices, not companies." His comment reinforced my belief in the importance of finding printing applications with significant profit margins. To find these profits, many print shop owners are looking to digital printing applications, such as variable-data printing (VDP).

In our December 2005 issue, Instant & Small Commercial Printer magazine explored the profit potential of VDP. In this issue, Xerox Corp. Worldwide Graphic Communications Industry Business Customer Business Development v.p. Gina Testa wrote "there can be a road to riches with variable-data printing." She backed up her opinion with industry marketing firm Interquest's projection stating that full-color VDP will account for approximately 60 percent of all digital color printing in 2006.

For the most part, it does seem some print-for-pay companies are reaping good profits from VDP applications. It also seems reasonable to ascertain that their successes will bring more players to the VDP arena. This increase in VDP capacity could create more awareness of VDP among customers thus increasing demand for VDP services. The additional capacity also could create downward pressure on prices.

To what extent, will the marketplace allow printing companies to maintain VDP’s profit margins?

Linda Casey
Editor, Instant & Small Commercial Printer magazine
Innes Publishing Company

Posted by Guest Blogger at 04:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

As we prepare for IPEX, I´d like to voice one question on many peoples´ minds: Why Birmingham? Just kidding.

Some pundits said digital print dominated PRINT, others noted the proliferation of software and workflow solutions at what was once an exclusively heavy iron show. It will be interesting to see how IPEX shapes up in that regard.

It´s been said digital print's growth is being fueled by monochrome migration, offset replacement and new applications. Do you know of any new application success stories--things being done digitally that didn´t previously exist?

Katherine O'Brien
Editor
American Printer

Posted by Guest Blogger at 04:23 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

As the warehousing costs and transportation cost continue to rise, manufacturing a product at the time and place at which the buyer is prepared to purchase it is beginning to sound like a better and better idea.

While it’s certainly hard to manufacture a shirt or a pair of shoes – on demand and potentially customized – in a retail store while the customer waits, there are examples of “production on demand” that are here and now, and make a lot of sense.

OK, ok, “production on demand” for a shirt is called a tailor and for shoes it is a cobbler, I’ll give you that. Still, how many of us have custom made clothing? Further more, how many have bought a “mass customized” product produced in front of our faces to our specifications?

Books on demand seems like the ideal application of production on demand. Especially since so many are returned, remaindered, and pulped. Anything that brings demand and supply closer together has to be a good thing! Still hasn’t happened. To be able to walk into a bookstore, browse a bit, and pick a title or two from a list that would be printed for me while I have a cup of coffee is very exciting. I’m waiting for a shop near me to install one!

I’ve been following the ups and downs of “books on demand” for several years. The On Demand Book Machine patent infringement case against Lightning Source, Ingram, and Amazon stirred up a lot of dust and set everyone’s nerves on edge. At one point, it looked like the broad interpretation of the patent would put an end to print on demand; however the case is in appeal and still dragging on. To see in-depth coverage of the case go to WhatTheyThink.com. You can also see another system from Israel, 1Book, that hasn’t yet been marketed in the U.S.

The latest twist on this concept is a kiosk that allows retailers to produce CDs and DVDs from a catalog of “virtual inventory” in their stores for customers who need wait only a few minutes for a “hot off the presses” product. SoftwareToGo, from Protocall Technologies, is exactly the same idea – download a music album, a video, or a software application from a catalog, and it will be burned onto a DVD or CD while you wait. And – get this – it will imprint the disc, print the jewel case liner and an insert all while you wait. So what’s new about this? Anyone can do this at home? What’s new is that some big names – McAfee, CompUSA, Tiger Direct, and Corel – are climbing onto the band wagon. Looks like this kind of production on demand is going prime time.

I’m waiting for the day when I can get one of those 3-D printers to put on my desk and “print” all kinds of handy dandy gadgets. Won’t be long now!

Gail Nickel-Kailing
principle, Business Strategies Etc.
editor-in-chief, Graphic Communications World

Posted by Guest Blogger at 08:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

In an article called "The Long Tail" by Wired Magazine writer Chris Anderson, the author suggests that publishers look at the entire life cycle of a book and that they should avoid the temptation to focus on blockbusters and hits, but instead to see the longer term revenue opportunity over the life of the book. It's clear to me that the "Long Tail" thesis is applicable not only to on-demand books but also to web-to-print collaterals. Amazon.com is very much in the "Long Tail" camp with their focus on selection. I'd be interested in knowing what others think about this theory and its application to printed material.

Jim Hamilton
Director, On Demand Printing & Publishing Consulting Service
InfoTrends

Posted by Guest Blogger at 05:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (5) | TrackBacks (0)

Thanks for your comments on the site so far! We’re excited that people have already jumped in and are looking to start conversations. To clear something up that surfaced in the first two comments, we’ll be featuring commentary in the “Posts” on the main page of this blog from a series of guest bloggers, mainly industry journalists and industry analysts. We’ll also include some intriguing questions submitted through the "In The Balance: Your Choices, Your Success” industry forum registration site. We encourage everyone who visits this blog to comment on these thoughts and opinions - including our guest bloggers. If you have a topic that you feel needs to be addressed in the form of a Post – a new discussion string - we encourage you to submit it in the comment section of the Posts or e-mail the idea to info@inthebalanceblog.com with your name, title, e-mail and affiliation.

Posted by In The Balance at 04:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The In The Balance Blog is a place for you as printing industry experts in your own right, to discuss the latest hot topics, and participate in discussions on the hidden opportunities and pitfalls that affect the future of printing and graphic communications.

Whether or not you already have registered for the In The Balance industry forum at IPEX, you are invited to participate in this open and ongoing conversation. This is your opportunity to be involved even if you don’t plan to attend the show.

All industry professionals—from printers to vendors to industry analysts and members of the media—from around the world and at all levels of management are invited to help guide and develop this blog according to your needs and desires.

Feel free to ask questions, exchange ideas, share concerns and successes. This is your space.

As a part of the registration process for the industry forum, attendees have the option to submit a question for consideration. To get the conversation started, let’s consider this question that was submitted from the UK…

“Reducing purchase costs of office-oriented printer and MFP hardware makes in-house short-run printing easier, quicker and potentially less costly than outsourcing to a commercial printer. How can the printing industry respond to this threat?”

Post Comment away!

Posted by In The Balance at 08:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBacks (0)