Having a Web-to-print solution is becoming essential for in-plants. For those eager to add one but unsure of how to start, here are some tips.

By Julie Shaffer

Questions to Ask

To find the Web-to-print solution that best fits your organization, you have to ask a lot of questions to yourself, to others in your organization and to the vendors you’re considering. Here are a few suggestions to help you in your search:

• How customizable is the solution?

• Will your site look like ABC Printer down the street?

• What skills will your existing staff need to interface with the system?

• How user friendly is the administrative interface?

• Is the system built with “standard” applications or protocols?

• Do you need the system to integrate with other existing systems in your business, like order entry, MIS, prepress/production or proofing?

• What are the up-front and ongoing costs to offer a W2P solution?

• How long will it take to get the system up and running? (Some vendors say two to 10 days, but unless you are very prepared, don’t believe it.)

• Will IT/special staffing will be required in-house?

• How long will it take to achieve ROI on the solution?

• How are fonts handled in the system?

• Which file types will the system allow to be uploaded?

• Which engine is used to create PDF files—Adobe Library, Jaws PDF creator, GhostScript, something proprietary?

Take a Test Drive

A new online resource called the Web-to-Print Test Drive, sponsored by the E-Business Council of PIA/GATF, is now available. This site provides information on most of the Web-to-print software solutions on the market today, and will soon have links out to demonstration sites that will allow users to actually test-drive (hence the name) Web-to-print software solutions. Check it out at: www.w2ptestdrive.com

You probably don’t need to be convinced that it is important to offer your customers a way to do business with you using the Internet. After all, print e-commerce, commonly referred to as Web-to-print, has been on the scene for more than a decade. Although the dot-com bust of 2001 put mass adoption on hiatus until the past couple of years, today it is not only an accepted way to do business, but an expected one.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 All Next »

0 Comments

View Comments

Julie Shaffer Author's page

Julie Shaffer is Vice President, Digital Technologies at Printing Industries of America. She heads up the Digital Printing Council (DPC), as well as the Center for Digital Printing Excellence at Printing Industries headquarters in Sewickley, PA. In her position, Julie plays a lead role in developing programs and tools to help members grow their businesses with digital technologies.

Known for her graphic production expertise, Julie has a 20-plus year background in pre-media and print. She is often called upon for training, presentations and to provide on-site consulting throughout the industry on diverse range of topics, including PDF, color management, digital printing, social media and Web-to-print implementation. Julie is co-author of several books, including "The PDF Print Production Guide" (1st, 2nd and 3rd edition), the "Web-to-Print Primer" and the forthcoming "Field Guide to Social Media."

Web-to-print for In-plants