Name of Web to Print

[pcmodem]

The fundamental name of Web to Print means the only thing it does is print. This is far from reality. Web to Print encompasses email, PURL's, SMS messages, even possibly audio and Video.

My thought is to call it something different. At first I was calling it Web to Whatever, which includes just about everything. After more thought on this I have come up with "Web to Media"

Web to Media encompasses what these systems are doing and I feel it would be more beneficial to use a term more inline with this.

 

[seratne]

How about, if you want to use a broad term, "On-Demand Marketing"? I believe some companies already use this buzzword.

Web to Print doesn't really encompass the other services, they're their own beast.

 

[pcmodem]

To me Marketing means trying to sell something, like a postcard to sell a piece of farm equipment. Where I also see this technology being used for final products like child story book with the childs name used through out. Others include numbered invoices, custom ticket numbers for being in a line, etc. not always for marketing.

Just my 2 cents

 

[Web2PrintGuy]

Where I also see this technology being used for final products like child story book with the childs name used through out. Others include numbered invoices...

Good point.

Before "web to print" came along, "e-commerce" or "print website" were used. Web-to-print is an attempt to label a more complex workflow that starts with a customer-facing webpage and ends in production. Given that, there is a wide variety of things that can happen in-between, and as you point out, what is produced may not always involve ink on paper.

However, ink on paper is still the main driver by far. I think web to print works because it is short, and includes "print", something most print shops can relate to even if some of what they produce is not printed. As such, W2P is a handy terminology for many, even though a particular provider may be doing more than print.

On the other hand, the print industry is remarkably resistant to replacing ink on paper production. Witness the many discussions over the years lamenting PDF or email newsletters replacing traditional ink on paper. Of course some have adapted and taken advantage of new mediums and now produce in these new formats as well.

Steve Ciesemier (cease-my-r)
Aleyant Systems LLC
Aleyant Systems Web-to-Print Software
www.Presero.com