By Editor Morten B. Reitoft 

Back in the early zero's, I worked for Xerox, and one of the KPIs when selling digital print was personalization. The first time I saw my name rendered in the sand of a beach or almost any other stunning scenery, I was blown away. I tried understanding how it was possible, and every time I showed it to my customers, they were equally blown away. Did it sell machines? No.

When I look back on the Digital Print journey - toner or inkjet - I am convinced that most of the printers sold to PSPs have never been used for much but short runs. Or, to be more precise short runs and very simple personalization like numbering and addressing. I am aware that some PSPs have specialized in campaign deliveries, Direct Mail, and many other highly personalized print. I have seen some of the most stunning solutions where personalized images, names, content, etc., are matched with loyalty cards and other customized items. So yes, the technology can be used for this, but I am still convinced that most digital printers sold are used in the short run.

I am, of course, also aware of the many PSPs specialized in transactional print where personalization is constant. Still, I decided to write this article because when inkjet is challenging offset, the question again arises whether digital continues to be more interesting only when relating to personalization!

I got to think about this as my friend Eddy Hagen referred me to an article published by the UK-based Print Business with an article about German online printer Saxo Print and their investment in a fully automated Heidelberg setup. The claim is that the cross-over between Offset and digital is now down to 50 copies. This is, of course, always a question about how the cross-over is calculated. Nevertheless, the bigger and more interesting question for future investments must be: Will digital mainly be used for personalization or short runs? And will offset become even more optimized? To the last question, 100% yes. Without having any specific knowledge, you can be certain that Offset will become smarter, better, faster, and at the same time, have the advantage of low-cost on volume-based productions. But. You can also be certain that digital and inkjet, in particular, will become smarter, better, faster, and cheaper. Hence, as always, the choice of technology depends on what kind of customers you serve and what kind of products they demand.
I will, however, challenge the 50 sheets offset price, as it will always require a minimum of 4 plates. Nevertheless, let's talk customers!

When customers order volume, it's typically because they need a certain volume, but also because the price per piece decreases with volume. Of course, the real price is the price divided by the number of products used + the disposal cost of the unused pieces. Even more important is the question of what customers ideally want. Do you think they want to stock, or do you think they would prefer 100% on-demand?

My take is that most would prefer to have a 100% variable price, and some would even pay a premium to avoid binding capital and warehouse costs. So the ideal for customers is likely on-demand production, where digital is the only viable solution.

This has nothing to do with variable print or personalization, but the fact that digital is interesting for the products-of-one. Over the past six months, I have visited several printing companies specializing in books-of-one. Though this is still only a fraction of the book market, it is incredible to see how profitable these companies can produce books-of-one. The profit on short runs is considerably higher than mass-produced books - but it requires entirely new business models, new ways to sell, and maybe even new customers? So not something you can easily do, but you HAVE to consider what your customers will need in the future.

I decided to use the headline 'Gimmick vs. Personalization' because one example often used to show the strength of personalization is the Share a Coke campaign. And yes, I also purchased cokes with my name. This was a brilliant idea, but it is a gimmick. Other companies tried to copy Coca-Cola, and I haven't seen many statements this was game-changers. Coca-Cola did it first on a large scale, and the gimmick was fun, engaging, and had a time.

In my mind, the future of digital print is not dependent on variable data and personalization but in the short run - even down to the copy of one. The challenge with digital is price and speed. The advantage is fast change-over and the ability to finish many commodity products like business cards, flyers, brochures, and even magazines and books. In Offset, the advantage is media diversity and low cost on longer runs. And suppose Offset is a viable solution in copies down to fifty. In that case, I will say that you still have to focus on the digital transformation, changing business models, how you sell, and how you can ensure the volume needed.

But exciting times, and please share your views :-)