Fast Track. Digital Printing Hits the. Variable Data Printing: Getting Personal. QR Codes: What Works, What Sells, What s Next Page 36

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1 November 2010 Volume 48, Number 11 Digital Printing Hits the Fast Track Print Firms Enter New Markets, Boost Sales Page 20 Variable Data Printing: Getting Personal Page 28 QR Codes: What Works, What Sells, What s Next Page 36 PSDA Case Study: Keeping Success in Sight Page 52 Exclusive coverage of the printing industry from:

2 Print Solutions Magazine November 2010 FEATURES PERSPECTIVES 04 Editor s note Making Connections By John Delavan 06 President s Message Moving Forward By Bill Prettyman 20 Cover story Digital Printing hits the Fast track By Darin Painter As customers seek shorter runs, faster turnaround and powerful personalization, digital printing has moved from neat to necessary. Print firms with digital mindsets are growing sales and entering new markets. 28 Getting Personal By Katherine House Variable data printing takes digital imaging to another level, capitalizing on the capabilities of sophisticated software and hardware to produce campaigns in which every piece can be different from the others. 36 Qr Codes: What Works, What sells, What s next By Heidi Tolliver-Nigro The potential uses for two-dimensional barcodes continue to grow, enabling distributors and others to add to their marketing arsenals. 42 Meeting digital demand with Web storefronts By Amie Shak Online storefront solutions build brand value for distributors and offer methods to complement face-to-face interactions with e-commerce efficiencies. 46 Flexography Braces for digital tidal Wave By Ivars Sarkans Labelexpo Americas 2010 one of the largest events worldwide for the label, web printing, product decoration, converting and packaging industries reveals that while flexography continues to dominate in label production, digital printing systems are gaining ground. 16 Psda Profile An exciting time By Amie Shak PSDA Executive Vice President Matt Sanderson shares with Print Solutions readers his professional background and insights regarding the future of the association and the print distribution industry. NEW Monthly exclusive 52 Case study Keeping success in sight A savvy supplier and innovative distributor join forces to harness the benefits of variable data printing to help a unique client an optometrist. 64 spotlight Man on the run By Katherine House DEPARTMENTS 12 Psda news 58 Industry news Compiled By Frances Moffett 64 Advertiser index 65 Classifieds PSDA.ORG PRINT SOLUTIONS 3

3 Keeping Success In Sight A savvy supplier and innovative distributor join forces to harness the benefits of variable data printing to help a unique client an optometrist who wanted to encourage more patients to get their eyes checked regularly. The success of our Visionary Resources VDP program has been a springboard into other uses of the power of digital print that we are in the process of bringing to our customer base. We now have the experience and confidence to rebrand what we are and what we do as marketing solutions providers. And it all started when instead of just accepting an exact repeat order we asked, What if? Tim Koenigs President, Koenigs ProSource Inc., Waukesha, Wis. In this case study, Print Solutions spotlights the success of a variable data printed postcard campaign an exceptional effort that earned the participants a grand prize in the Digital Printing, Short Run, category of the annual PEAK Awards competition, sponsored by Print Solutions Magazine. Issue/Need to be Addressed An optometrist needed to send reminders to patients about scheduling eye exams. Objective The objective was to improve the percentage of patients who have their eyes checked once a year and reduce the percentage of patients who don t return within four years. Solution Use variable data printed (VDP) postcards, segmented by age group and time elapsed since an individual s previous exam. Challenge Setting up the VDP software to image 20 different messages. Results The optometrist received many comments and compliments about the recall cards from patients, who were amazed by the level of personalization. The distributor since has sold the program to several additional eye clinics that use it or are in the process of implementing the program. Client A Wisconsin optometrist Distributor Tim Koenigs, Koenigs ProSource Inc., Waukesha, Wis. Supplier Printco, Omro, Wis. Hardware Printed on an HP Indigo 3050 Digital Press UV coating: Duplo Ultra 14 UV coater Software Koenigs ProSource provided an Excel comma delimited file to Printco, which used DirectSmile software ( and HP s Yours Truly software to design and personalize the postcards. It also used CASS-certified mailing software. Target Audience Patients of all ages (from youngsters to seniors) of an optometric practice. The initial client ordered 562 postcards, which was a one-month supply. case study continues on page PRINT SOLUTIONS PSDA.ORG

4 The client called Koenigs ProSource to reorder letterhead and envelopes so he could send reminders to patients about scheduling eye exams. Along with the letters, office workers sometimes included handwritten Post-it notes. Koenigs ProSource President Tim Koenigs suggested the client take advantage of information in his patient database to produce variably printed recall cards. The optometrist agreed, hoping to improve the percentage of patients who have their eyes checked once a year and reduce the percentage of patients who don t return within four years of their last exams. The solution needed to be eye-catching and simple for the office staff to send out quickly. Koenigs ProSource worked with Printco Inc. to produce personalized postcards, printed on 110# gloss cover stock. The client opted for UV coated 8½-inch x 5 ½-inch postcards, despite higher postage costs, because he believed the larger cards would stand out from other mail that people received. The optometrist decided to split his patients into five groups, based on age; each group received a card with different graphics (see samples, pictured). For example, children received a postcard with a photograph showing a child spelling out the recipient s name with pebbles on a beach. Another set of recipients had their names imaged on pairs of eyeglasses, which were being held up to a blurry eye chart in the background. Some of the designs were part of Printco s Emotional Expressions line; others were custom designed. Based on changes that can occur in eye health as people age, the client wrote different letters for each group reminding them of the importance of eye check-ups. The personalization didn t stop there. The optometrist wanted to further divide each age group into four subgroups, based on whether it had been one, two, three or four or more years since the person s previous eye exam. Each message incorporated that information as well, resulting in 20 different possible messages The optometrist split his patients into five groups based on age: Ages 1-12, 13-20, 21-43, and 65-plus. Members of each group received a postcard with different graphics. 54 PRINT SOLUTIONS PSDA.ORG

5 that were imaged on the reverse sides of the postcards. Setting up the VDP software to image so many different messages took considerable time and effort. Koenigs ProSource supplied to Printco a database with each patient s name, address, birth date and last appointment date. Using Boolean logic based on whether someone s birthday was before one date and after another date, Printco ensured that the correct graphics were imaged on the front of each postcard. The birth date, coupled with the number of years since a previous appointment, determined which message was imaged on the reverse side of the postcard. The optometrist worked closely with Koenigs ProSource and Printco to ensure the text of each message fit in the designated spot on the postcard. Why It Worked The personalized postcards accomplish much more than stock postcards used by many optometric practices. The size of the card, the glossy photo and the unique presentation of the recipients name make the card stand out in the mail, so there is a high probability that the message will be read. The message is relevant to the recipients as it speaks to where they are in vision life and how long it has been since their last eye exams. The longer it has been, the firmer the message becomes. Telling patients how much time has passed since a previous exam has a much greater impact than a card that says, Call to schedule your appointment. Ditto the explanation of how eye health is related to age. Offices save processing time because they don t image and burst the cards themselves, and clients like the personalized graphics. The client calculated that the cards paid for themselves when one additional person per month called to schedule an appointment. The postcards streamlined the time-intensive process of preparing, folding and mailing the letters. With most practices, the biggest challenge is extracting the relevant data from their practice management software. Often, the office staff does not know how to provide the data that Koenigs ProSource needs. Working with the software companies is complicated by the fact that many of them offer competing appointment reminder services via messages. Koenigs ProSource customer service staff works with the clinics to help them submit the database in a usable fashion. Long-Term Impact Since the initial sale, Koenigs ProSource has partnered with the optometrist to form a company called Visionary Resources ( to offer these VDP postcards and other optical practice improvement products to the optometric industry. PS Within each message, the optometrist s phone number was printed in boldface type so recipients could find it easily when they were ready to set up appointments. The practice s logo, along with street address and phone number, was printed at the bottom of the postcard. In addition, the name and address of the practice were printed in a return address field, and the name and address of the recipient were imaged on the postcard, saving processing time at the optometric practice. The optometrist s sample postcards show personalized messaging made possible by variable data printing technologies. The office s staff members wanted the flexibility to mail the cards, in part so they could discard postcards of people who had set up appointments without a reminder. Therefore, Printco also imaged the mail date (calculated on the anniversary of the last appointment) in the upper right corner of the reverse side of the post card. The office staff simply placed a stamp atop the mail date, which was not visible to the recipient. 56 PRINT SOLUTIONS PSDA.ORG