Spotlight: Canon Solutions America
There’s something in the air today, an electricity that crackles with new possibilities. That’s because we find ourselves in the middle of a printing revolution thanks to the miracle of digital printing. More and more printers are shifting their production models to fully digital shops and it’s easy to see why.
Where up till now offset printing has enabled us to spread a single message to thousands of people, digital has transformed printing into a personalized experience with smaller print runs and endless customization capabilities. With offset, small print runs are prohibitively expensive. With digital, you can print the exact quantity you need and always have the option to go back for more. In short, if you or your client can envision it, you can print it, even if just a few, and have the final product in your hands quickly.
And your partner at the forefront of this digital printing revolution is Canon Solutions America.
A New Type of ‘Artisan’
In an inspired move, Canon leaps right to the heart of the matter with “Celebrating the World’s Artisans,” a thought-provoking promotion printed on 100 lb. Neenah Classic Crest stock using the Canon imagePRESS C10000 VP Color Production Digital Press. Leafing through its 28 pages of rich photography celebrating the makers of everything from bicycles to chocolate, you can’t help but gain a deep appreciation for the high-quality of the vibrant colors on the page, and the sharpness of each image.
This is digital printing? Yes, it is, and beautiful output is only the beginning. With it, you also acquire three advantages crucial to succeeding in our accelerated world – three ways that digital printing will change your life.
1. The Power to Get Personal With Print
When we think of artisans, we often think of those who create high-quality pieces that are one-of-a-kind. Can we really compare a designer who produces their work on a printing press to someone who crafts a piece of jewelry, say, or paints a landscape? Amazingly, the answer is yes.
Whether you’re designing direct mail, packaging, signage, or really anything at all, you can transform each and every piece in your print run into a true one-of-a-kind experience using “variable data printing.” Use textured stocks, specialty media, and spot UV coating to really make your pieces stand out. And thanks to the Canon imagePRESS C10000 VP’s ability to handle sheets as long as 30 inches, and media as light as 16 lb. Bond – all the way up to 130 lb. Cover – the possibilities are endless:
- A real-estate agency’s postcard boasting the photo of the exact house it’s going to, complete with that property’s estimated value printed on the front.
- Limited edition art prints that each feature a slight variation from all the rest.
- A retailer’s mailer that includes products based on an individual’s buying history.
And don’t think for a moment that personalization is done purely for the sake of it. A number of surveys have found that recipients value personalized offers more than generic ones.
According to Salesforce Research’s 2016 “State of the Connected Consumer” report, 58% of Gen Xers and 63% of Millennials consider personalized offers and discounts a good way to save time, and are willing to share their data with companies in exchange for them. Over 40% of those surveyed by verification services company SheerID and Kelton Global in 2018 said they would “Be more likely to seek out something to buy so I could use [a personalized] offer.” Some 48% said they would make a purchase sooner than they normally would because of it. Personalization moves people to buy.
2. Move at the Speed of Life
At a time when you receive virtually anything in a matter of hours after ordering it rather than days or weeks, your clients expect to see results quickly. And only digital printing allows you to meet those expectations.
With the help of digital presses like the Canon imagePRESS C10000 VP, you can complete the design of something in the morning and conceivably have the item in your hand that same day. Without makeready and the little adjustments required by offset to contend with, the speed with which you can produce something digitally is limited only by your print shop’s schedule.
This also means that, for the first time in history, your client can respond to new opportunities in real time as they present themselves. A congressional tweak to the tax laws, for example, can be reflected in a mailing for an accountant that same week; and with digital’s variable-data printing features, you can even address how these new measures will affect each recipient. In the retail world, this means sending “abandoned cart” postcards in real time like major online companies such as Wayfair and Shutterfly are doing now.
3. Meet the Demands of an On-Demand Society
Digital printing’s ability to accommodate super-small print runs also opens up a whole new vista of opportunities for your client. Has the company’s CEO always wanted to publish a book or magazine in order to position themselves as a thought leader in a particular field, but declined to do so because they had no place to store the number of books necessary to justify set-up costs? With digital, you can print as many – or as few – copies as you need, and go back to press whenever you require more. It’s as easy as sending your printer an email.
Ready to take part in this digital printing revolution? Want to see for yourself just how beautiful your work can look? Enter to win one of 50 copies of the “Celebrating the World’s Artisans” promotion from Canon Solutions America right now! Hurry, this contest ends March 14th!
This offer has ended.
