RECURSOS
XMPie has been helping brands and print service providers with countless VDP applications for years, and it’s wonderful that the inkjet community has now joined the party!
The combination of inkjet and XMPie offers a wide gamut of opportunities and applications that extend much further than the typical ‘mail-merge’ or traditional Inkjet applications. Many applications such as Direct Mail, creative marketing, and catalogs all require VDP and are perfect for modern production inkjet presses which can push these jobs out efficiently at ultra-fast speeds.
XMPie fits perfectly into the inkjet production workflow and can be used to generate high-volumes of complex variable files at high speeds and in real time with a server solution.
In this post, I’ll explore some high-value personalized applications that you might not yet have considered running on your inkjet press.
Personalized Direct Mail
When it comes to Direct Mail, brands are looking to Print Providers to lower their campaign production costs, save time, and increase the return on their marketing investment. These requirements can be delivered with VDP. Instead of producing ineffective static Direct Mail pieces, you can focus on the relevancy to the recipient. One template is created, and that template automatically generates different versions of the document based on changes in the data.
With XMPie’s end-to-end Adobe workflow users can create advanced data-driven documents directly inside the InDesign application from set-up through preview and composition. This process means faster on-boarding of templates, with fewer steps in the design workflow. It also offers full graphics support and color management (where others are limited) so that brands can protect their brand identity for every touchpoint.
Compu-Mail, one of XMPie’s earliest customers, is an integrated marketing powerhouse that has grown its print volume considerably with VDP. So much so that it decided to increase its print capacity by investing in two new Xerox Rialto Inkjet Presses. There was no need to change any of the technology that was driving its workflow because XMPie software is scalable to match the needs of each business, and it could seamlessly add new hardware into the mix.
In the past, inkjet file input streams tended to be more programmable. Now, when it comes to personalization, you can take a creative approach to the high-volume inkjet environment; and achieve a very high standard of print design. With XMPie, the design possibilities are infinite, and the only thing holding the designer back is their imagination.
Personalized Catalogs
More than ever before, catalogs and brochures are driving sales to both digital channels and brick-and-mortar stores, especially when they are beautifully designed and personalized to each recipient.
When Lexus dealers in the Netherlands wanted to extend their personal touch to their print collateral, they turned to Hollandridderkerk, a leading provider of graphic media solutions. Using XMPie’s variable data print software, the Hollandridderkerk team created a personalized catalog called “My Next Lexus,” which has the look and feel of a magazine. The catalog’s content is customized to reflect the customer’s interests, such as preferred Lexus model, colors, options, and accessories. The piece also contains relevant articles and branded content, as well as the Lexus sales rep’s contact information. The sales rep orders the catalog after a customer visits the showroom, and it is dispatched by mail soon after.
The new catalog has generated “wow” reactions from recipients, effectively extending Lexus’s red-carpet treatment beyond the showroom. It also serves as a useful reference when dealers follow up with customers.
Omnichannel Campaigns
Another key requirement that brands are looking for is for the personalization to be synchronized across all the touchpoints – not just the print piece. This capability is a critical element to futureproofing the business. Service providers choose XMPie because they know that the same core PersonalEffect platform powers all the touchpoints and shares the data and business rules across multiple channels simultaneously; the data is always synchronized for a truly holistic brand experience.
Omnichannel technology is already transforming the production inkjet market and providing higher value jobs for those Print Service Providers who have jumped on the bandwagon. These jobs integrate print and digital touch points and can deliver even better ROI because they get higher engagement, better response rates, and can reach wider audiences with different media preferences. Businesses that offer more than just print have better, stickier, longer-term, and higher-value relationships with their customers. After all, it’s easier to replace a provider of just print than to replace one that provides complete integrated communications solutions!
Not only being able to offer their clients high-volume, high-quality personalized print pieces but also to synchronize the delivery of personalized emails at the same time is a huge bonus – not only for the provider but also the customers.
Omnichannel campaign touchpoints can also be triggered by consumer actions. It’s a real bonus to be able to connect a high-quality, low-cost production press to a campaign platform that can automatically create and respond to specific requests, rather than just printing in bulk. New technologies such as chatbots can be used to engage audiences or direct recipients to their PURLs, where information can be gathered to augment the database, understand customer preferences, and create print pieces such as catalogs, brochures and more that are sent to the press instantaneously.
Web-to-Print
And of course, Web-to-Print with built-in VDP features is another important technology to make use of. XMPie has a Web-to-Print offering, StoreFlow, within its platform for print providers to offer personalized material 24/7. Print Service Providers can either launch an unlimited number of B2B stores for their clients to provide branded print and other products online or set up B2C stores to improve the print ordering process for their customers.
StoreFlow is also built with the same core XMPie technology, so the same platform that can drive the inkjet for your VDP applications can receive the online orders. The workflow for the printer doesn’t change, and the jobs are sent automatically to the inkjet press.
Get the Most Out of Your Inkjet
Recent advancements in inkjet technology have now caught up with the existing capabilities of XMPie to produce a perfect combination of high-level personalization with high-quality color options and high-speed production. XMPie can drive the inkjet press with the same workflow as with a cut sheet device.
Get in touch using the form below to learn about getting more out of your inkjet Press with XMPie software.
