Printing industry vendor HP has a conflict of interest

[OutSourceD]

MARKETSPLASH, HP's Web-to-print service, is getting some adverse attention from those in the quick and small commercial printing industry because it offers business printing to end users. According to their website: "MarketSplash by HP provides all the small business marketing materials, products, and design services you need in a single, easy-to-use interface. Our brand marketing solution includes award-winning design templates, professional business cards, standout websites, traffic-driven direct mail postcards, and many more marketing products." Printing association and franchise leaders have let HP know of their displeasure with the new service, which competes directly with some quick and small commercial printers for printing business. Like the Adobe/Kinko's fiasco, which involved a click-through button to Kinko's on Acrobat Reader, this HP service is another example of a printing industry vendor selling directly to potential customers of that industry. MarketSplash

 

[Guest]

I have been covering HP MarketSplash over at Print CEO:


Print CEO - Printing Industry News Blog - HP Launches MarketSplash - A Design and Print Fulfillment Service

Print CEO - Printing Industry News Blog - Print Franchises Leadership Address HP MarketSplash

Print CEO - Printing Industry News Blog - Video Interview: Carl Gerhardt on HP MarketSplash

 

[OutSourceD]

Good to know. We need to join together and convince HP to close this site down.

This industry managed to quell Adobe's conflict of interest, let's move forward with HP.

 

[Internal_R&D_Analyst]

It seams as if this has gotten 2% of the attention other topics such as Adobe FedEx Kinkos and Kodak Creative Network. MarketSplash's core business is a design company. Printing just happens to be the resulting end result, and options include have it shipped, pick it up yourself, or print it yourself.

This all goes back to HP's purchase of Logoworks about this time in 2007. So no one can say this is new, it's 2 years old.

I don't see this site as a big deal, there are plenty of other sites that do the same thing and the prices are more competitive. Customers are looking to deliver and share content which is what printing, the internet, and email all provide.

Maybe we should get upset with Xerox too since their machines are doing the printing when you pick it up from a Staples store because there aren't indigo's there.

 

[OutSourceD]

Big corporations will ultimately put the small businessman out of business unless we at least try and do something about it. The independent grocery stores, book stores, hardware stores, toy stores are gone. We're next.

 

[Internal_R&D_Analyst]

Big corporations will ultimately put the small businessman out of business unless we at least try and do something about it. The independent grocery stores, book stores, hardware stores, toy stores are gone. We're next.

Today's younger generations don't shop at stores like people did in past. And big companies fail too; look at Quebecor, Circuit City, and USA's second largest shopping mall owner that filed for bankruptcy. People use the internet to find exactly what they are looking for at the price they are willing to pay, brand and company loyalty will be and are a thing of the past.

Strong companies with vision and solutions become big companies by providing people what they want and need. Wal-Mart, Microsoft, and Adobe did not start out big but have in time taken over or put other companies out of business.

The printing industry is no different from other industries, they need to observe and react to the changing future. Markets such as newspaper, magazines, checks, phone books, maps and direct mail may have limited opportunities in the future.

Years ago it was common for the marketing company to be different from the design company who supplied a job to the prepress house who sent it to the printer. After printing it might have gone to the bindery shop and then to the mail house before they delivered it to the post office. The cycle time to complete a job and the number of touches has been dramatically reduced today by things like Marketspash. Companies need to adapt and change otherwise printers will become like the floppy disk, typewriter, or film/negatives.

I believe the static is around 1000 printers go out of business every year; I don't see this website as something that will turn this number into 2000.

I agree with you OutSourceD, the printing industry is next for companies that do not change the way they do business and doing it yearly may not be enough anymore, daily changes may be necessary to survive given technology, competition, and the economy.

 

[OutSourceD]

Just found this. This is heating up and this is our moment to do something about it.

IT IS TIME MAKE OUR VOICES HEARD! HP’S MARKETSPLASH.COM IS A DIRECT THREAT TO ALL OF US - HP Competes With Resellers

 

[lkl7255]

Maybe we should get upset with Xerox too since their machines are doing the printing when you pick it up from a Staples store because there aren't indigo's there.

I do think it is interesting that the company they are using for printing doesn't even have Indigos...

I have seen a lot of customers upset about HP's MarketSplash (commenting on Print CEO and within PrintJunkie), because they see MarketSplash as a competitor rather than a business development tool.

Xerox used to have their own print centers several years ago, which they ended up closing because it was competing with customers (we learned our lesson!).

We are very careful not to compete and take business away from printers now...
It will be interesting to see how HP reacts to the crowd.

 

[michaelejahn]

What - Xerox competes with customers too (so does Rioch)

What - Xerox competes with customers too (so does Rioch)

Xerox used to have their own print centers several years ago, which they ended up closing because it was competing with customers (we learned our lesson!).

We are very careful not to compete and take business away from printers now...
It will be interesting to see how HP reacts to the crowd.

Xerox offers MANY services that compete with scanning and print service providers - and printers that offer consultanting services !

Document Services and Business Consulting Services - Xerox

http://www.ricoh-usa.com/solutions/common/dss/pdf/RIC_EA_OnDemand_WebSrvcs_0328.pdf

 

[lkl7255]

michaelejahn,

Thanks for the link. I am not extremely familiar with XGS (I am now watching videos about it), so I'll post again once I understand more and can comment on your post.

With my previous post, what I was referring to specifically was that although we have all of our equipment at the Gil Hatch Center (here in Rochester) where we could easily print all of our brochures and collaterals, we instead outsource everything (and only use the equipment here for demonstrations). Before, we used to have print centers where we did all of our own printing, but that is no longer the case (because of the fact that it was competing with customers' businesses).

 

[gordo]

[SNIP]...although we have all of our equipment at the Gil Hatch Center (here in Rochester) where we could easily print all of our brochures and collaterals, we instead outsource everything (and only use the equipment here for demonstrations). Before, we used to have print centers where we did all of our own printing, but that is no longer the case (because of the fact that it was competing with customers' businesses).

Interesting. I've actually never seen any vendor's demo facility being used to print their company's own marketing literature. But the reason is not because of a desire to avoid competing with their customers. They outsource because demo facilities are not set up as production shops. They are set up specifically to handle their number one priority - prospective customer test files, based on the needs/schedules of the sales people. As a result, the demo facilities do not have the bandwidth nor infrastructure of a conventional production facility.

best, gordon p

my print blog here: Quality In Print current topic: lpi vs dpi

 

[lkl7255]

Agreed!

Agreed!

Gordo,

You are right! That is what the main function/priorities should be (and what most are set up for). I agree about your statement about lack of bandwidth (time, employees) to actually handle production jobs, but I know the print capabilities are there (supplies, IQ, etc). When I first started here, I wanted to print samples for our inventory (to get used to the capabilities of the machines, etc.) and was willing to put in the time to do the printing, and I was told I couldn't do it. That's when I learned about the print centers

p.s.- I read your blog. Nice!


Also, there is another thread on this topic if everyone reading this thread is interested: http://printplanet.com/forums/print...marketsplash-design-print-fulfillment-service

 

[alan4color]

I would be interested to learn how HP's business model works; which companies print and on what equipment and so on. After a quick peek at their Site it really seems they are going head to head with the vistaprint model ( free cards and design and such ). I find it interesting an equipment maker is setting a price for specific print products. As usual they are bottom feeding - grabbing the cheap and easy work. I do feel it is the wrong approach to take. I will be following up with my HP rep. I cant wait to hear the spin the sale rep puts on this one.

 

[gordo]

p.s.- I read your blog. Nice!

Thank you! Xerox is actually mentioned upfront in my latest post (though a bit before your time methinks)
here: Quality In Print
gordon p