Spotlight: Canon Solutions America
Remember when someone showed you how to do something for the first time in Photoshop, Illustrator or InDesign that completely upped your design game? Seemingly overnight you went from a good designer to a much better one. Looking for that next huge boost to your work? You’ll find it when you print your work on production inkjet presses.
This digital technique brings you powerful per-piece customization, faster turnaround times and high-quality, consistent results. And all that stands between you and your next great quantum leap is a little knowledge. Fortunately, Canon Solutions America has packed everything you need into the second edition of their indispensable “Designer’s Guide to Inkjet.”
Doesn’t My Printer Already Know Everything?
Your printer knows a lot about a lot of things, but to reap the benefits of inkjet printing, you have to DESIGN with inkjet in mind. But once you do, let’s just say you’re not going to believe how smoothly and efficiently production will go. And you’ll find everything you need to know in the latest “Designer’s Guide to Inkjet,” including:
- The right settings for your design software
- How ink and paper choice affect the final product
- What questions you should ask your printer
- How to prepare your files for press.
Most importantly of all, the Guide is written with the help of the experts at Canon–the people who developed such game-changing digital presses as the ProStream Series and the current market share leader in production inkjet printing.
So…what are the advantages to production inkjet printing again? There are many, but for the purposes of time let’s take a look at three of the greatest.
1. The Power to Get Personal
From direct mail to brochures, we now expect everything we see to address both ourselves and our needs personally. (More importantly, studies show that consumers WANT personalized marketing communications, with 90% feeling this is “very/somewhat” appealing, according to a 2018 Epsilon study.)
Personalization is something that production inkjet printing allows you to do on every single piece your client produces using what is called “variable-data printing.” The possibilities are endless:
- A retailer’s mailer that includes products based on an individual’s buying history.
- A real-estate agency’s postcard boasting the photo of the exact house it is sent to, complete with that property’s estimated value printed on the front.
- A mailing featuring a photo of, and map to, a bank location nearest the recipient.
But you can only take advantage of this powerful feature if you design for it, which is where “The Designer’s Guide to Inkjet” comes in.
2. Produce at the Speed of Life
With production inkjet presses like the Canon ProStream or VarioPrint i-series+, you can now 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 on offset to contend with, the speed with which you can produce something using production inkjet is limited only by your print shop’s schedule. That means more time to finish your design, quicker delivery to your client and, joy of joys, potentially getting paid faster for your work, too.
3. Change Strategies on the Fly
Production inkjet’s increased printing speed also means that your clients 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 being able to send “abandoned cart” postcards in real time like major online companies such as Wayfair and Shutterfly currently do.
Your Crucial Guide to Making This Print Magic Possible
Yet to take advantage of these exciting new capabilities, you need to know the basics. Thankfully, “The Designer’s Guide to Inkjet, Second Edition” covers them all, providing you with handy tips, tricks and techniques to help make your work shine. All updated to talk about today’s inkjet technology and best practices.
So are you ready to experience another design epiphany? All that stands between you and your next great quantum leap is a little knowledge. Enter to win one of 10 copies of “The Designer’s Guide to Inkjet” right now. Hurry, this contest ends Nov. 21st! (North American entries only, please.) [THIS CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED.]
