New technology and the availability of information is rapidly changing the print industry. People are consuming information in new and exciting ways, which in turn has encouraged the commercial printing industry to innovate the things we can do with paper stock.
Just like any other industry, commercial printers are finding we have to keep up with the pace of technology and meet the demands of our clients, all of whom want to be part of the print process and get the most out of their digital print job.
With so much potential at our disposal, digital printing techniques are becoming much more sophisticated while still being affordable for the client.
Digitised workflow
Just about everyone in Australia uses desktop publishing software in their job (yes, even Word can be used for basic publishing). For the commercial printing industry this means our clients almost always do some of the early design work to lay out their ideas. Sometimes they create a finished piece, ready for print with all the crop and bleed marks, and files packaged together.
Being able to upload a design for print (on FTP or shared folders online) and communicate with the client quickly and easily via email, chat, or over the phone, reduces the overheads for printers while getting the job done faster.
Project management tools allow printers to keep up with jobs and progress requests from anywhere to save time. The client is never left waiting for a status update and changes can be made remotely to any part of the workflow.
Better technology
Commercial printers today have access to technology from all over the world. From cutting special shapes in card, to spot foil treatments, and creating large print runs fully in-house, new technology is changing what is possible with paper.
Automated workflows where the typesetter or designer can output straight to the printer and see results instantly mean customised jobs are less labour intensive, much faster, and more precise.
Mobile devices give printers and client’s flexibility to manage printing jobs on the go. Clients are even able to design work on tablets and phones thanks to recent advances in processing power and screen types.
Changing demands
People are moving away from single-channel media consumption. In simple terms that means they get their news and information from all kinds of sources, so the commercial printing industry needs to reach them in different ways. Multi-channel campaigns are very common nowadays. They require a printer to use a variety of stocks, finishes, and sizes to be adaptable for modern clients and consumers.
Trends in technology and information have moved the commercial printing industry forward very quickly in recent years. We can only guess what exciting changes the future will hold – already ideas like functional printing (using conductive inks), 3D printing, and printed electronics are gaining popularity. What can you think to do with paper in the future? Contact the team at A Team Printing to discuss all of your commercial printing needs.
