What Is VistaPrint Doing With Its Digital Presses?

htollvr

Member
Last year, VistaPrint bought 21 HP presses. What is it doing with them? HP disseminates a "case study" in which it talks about how great the presses are, but it never says exactly how it uses them. I asked the PR folk, and they say that VP is using them for the same applications it already offered, just in shorter runs. This doesn't make sense, since they are already mass-ganging jobs.

So what am I missing? Did VP have a minimum order that it now lifted? VistaPrint is now in the business of printing 10 business cards instead of 250? If so, then it can't be charging rock-bottom prices for them. Is it preparing to commoditize the 1:1 printing market, too? If so, then it doesn't need 21 presses to work out the kinks.

Anybody know what VistaPrint needs its 21 presses for?

Thanks,

Heidi Tolliver-Nigro
 
Re: What Is VistaPrint Doing With Its Digital Presses?

it could be that they are going to put 7 @ each of 3 locations to get closer to there customers. for faster turn around and cheaper shipping.
 
Re: What Is VistaPrint Doing With Its Digital Presses?

That is an interesting idea. But aren't they ganging runs at those three locations already? So isn't the price of short-run print already about as low as it can be? If they are already producing cheap printing in those locations, how would adding digital printing alongside those presses reduce the price of print or bring it closer to customers? I don't know the details of VistaPrint's production, so I'm asking. I don't know.

VistaPrint PR isn't forthcoming with answers.

Heidi Tolliver-Nigro
 
with 30,000 orders a day - they can do a lot

with 30,000 orders a day - they can do a lot

They still are gang running on the digital presses to provide even shorter runs. In the gang run business it takes more orders to be able to offer more quantity options and remain efficient. Because of their numbers the can have gangs of 10, 20, 30 without a problem. Also - Holiday's account for a large portion of their yearly sales. Most consumers don't need 250 holiday cards.
 
They use them for a ton of differnt things and are currently installing more of them, they are all busy 24 /6
 

PressWise

A 30-day Fix for Managed Chaos

As any print professional knows, printing can be managed chaos. Software that solves multiple problems and provides measurable and monetizable value has a direct impact on the bottom-line.

“We reduced order entry costs by about 40%.” Significant savings in a shop that turns about 500 jobs a month.


Learn how…….

   
Back
Top