Web to Print storefront

[zBret]

Would like to know what apps are available in web to print, would like an
application that we can Host and own it.

 

[made4print]

Hi zBret,

Are you looking for a Business to Business (B2B) or Business to Consumer (B2C) application?

Is there a particular reason you would need to Host it yourselves?

Mark Redman

 

[Al Ferrari]

Can you please explain more about these two categories?

Al

 

[[email protected]]

good question Al

good question Al

I too would like to know more about this web2print phenom. The research I have done indicates you must use thier servers to host a site and also you may purchase various databases from them to gain new customers for a fee. It seems as if they are owned by various marketing companies.

I for one would not like my customer database shared and I would perfer to host on my own server and not have my customers harvested by marketing people.

I have talked to a few companies that host and the cost of the software and monthly fee's are just crazy.

We need a cost per month and a comparison chart for web2print companies that offer this service.

I will work on that.

With VistaPrint and FedX joining forces and all the other crap how can a small printer survive?

OG

 

[made4print]

Hi All,

In our experience there is 2 types of Web2Print system:

1) Business to Business (B2B)
This system will help printers provide their business customers with a direct channel for ordering print and repeat-ordering with pre-defined and agreed prices, the ability to place systems (extranets) within corporates to centralise their print ordering, manage stock and manage approval processes. Print personalisation in this case would be limited to with brand guidelines and may not require payment service provision.

2) Business to Consumer (B2C)
A B2C system will help printers provide services directly to the public, on-off customers and typically for printing shorter runs, These systems will look like e-commerce systems with payment service provision and provide more/open personalisation capabilities.

We are a software development company that provide web2print systems to printers, we host and support these systems and are certainly not a marketing company. Most press manufacturers bundle or try sell in partner systems that historically are quite expensive to support and maintain. Smaller printers will survive because they typically have better relationships with their clients, VistaPrint provides a specific level and quality of print for the lowest cost. Local/Smaller printers will service their clients and provide the best quality they can.

Hope this helps.

Mark

 

[zBret]

couple of sites Ive reviewed

couple of sites Ive reviewed

Hi All,

In our experience there is 2 types of Web2Print system:

1) Business to Business (B2B)
This system will help printers provide their business customers with a direct channel for ordering print and repeat-ordering with pre-defined and agreed prices, the ability to place systems (extranets) within corporates to centralise their print ordering, manage stock and manage approval processes. Print personalisation in this case would be limited to with brand guidelines and may not require payment service provision.

2) Business to Consumer (B2C)
A B2C system will help printers provide services directly to the public, on-off customers and typically for printing shorter runs, These systems will look like e-commerce systems with payment service provision and provide more/open personalisation capabilities.

We are a software development company that provide web2print systems to printers, we host and support these systems and are certainly not a marketing company. Most press manufacturers bundle or try sell in partner systems that historically are quite expensive to support and maintain. Smaller printers will survive because they typically have better relationships with their clients, VistaPrint provides a specific level and quality of print for the lowest cost. Local/Smaller printers will service their clients and provide the best quality they can.

Hope this helps.

Mark

First thanks for all the info from everyone, Im just reseaching options for web to print, Im very
interested in getting a product up and going, below is a couple of links Ive looked at, does anyone
have pros and cons about the 2 sites below?
Welcome to PrinterOrder.com
www.tribalsketch.com - Home
Anyone have any other links I need to review please post them.
Thanks zBret

 

[Ritter]

zBret,

There are a number of products out there. There some that are attached to MIS solutions others are stand-alone. None are created equal.

PageFlex
efi DigitalStoreFront
efi Printersite Fulfillment
PrinterPresence
Heidelberg Prinance with WebAccess (MIS + W2P)
PressWise (Digital MIS + W2P)

To name just a few of these. The main thing I have learned to look out for is the method "web typesetting", "dynamic data PDF", or "variable data pdf" that is to say you create template for say a business card and the customers can type in their address and phone number into their browser and when they hit submit you get a PDF. All of these vendors seem to have their own method of using this technology.

My two pence about templating these beasts:
I found the XMPie templating models the most sound, logical and reliable. With a W2P solution using XMPie such as EFI Printersite Fulfillment you create the template in InDesign and then export it with the XMPie plugin then import it into the site. There is no double work involved here.

 

[cbucheli]

great thread

 

[david]

TribalSketch

TribalSketch

There are pros and cons to both models of providing W2P. As a vendor, hosting a solution and selling it on the service model offers the opportunity to spread the development cost and upgrade cost and provide a more consistent user experience. Upgrades done on the main server insure everyone is up to date and it is a bit easier to monitor for issues or problems.

On the other hand the software as a product model, you buy it you own, is more the norm for this industry. Regardless of what you say in your contract or terms of service, W2P does involve managing client details and jobs. This is the "core" asset of any printer and many printers are not willing to let this into hands outside of their organization.

Our TribalSketch solution started out as a software product solution, one that you buy and you own, which is still available. Now with the 2.0 release we have a hybrid model available. This is a combination of a purchase software and an ongoing service. With the software purchase comes the completely custom site design which the printer owns the rights to. In addition is the job manager module which installs in-house. The web site is then maintained externally on a service basis.

In this mode the web service, online estimating, online design, live shipping calculation, shopping cart with ecommerce, and all of the administrative UI are hosted as an inexpensive service fee. While the job upload manager directs the users uploaded files directly to the job manager at the printers site. This way these large files do not ever pass through the web service and therefor do not incur any traffic or hosting fees.

David Lewis
[email protected]

 

[mhilger]

Hello,

InfoTrends has an unbiased report that compares a number of the leading W2P vendors out there. (Disclaimer: My company, Printable Technologies, is one of the vendors included in this report as are a number of our competitors). You have to buy the report, but the amount of research you would have to do to get this level of info on your own would take months and months making, what I feel, the cost of this report a bargin for those serious about looking at all the vendors.

Check it out if interested:

The Ultimate Guide to Web-to-Print Solutions

 

[Todd Bernhard]

Hello,

InfoTrends has an unbiased report that compares a number of the leading W2P vendors out there. (Disclaimer: My company, Printable Technologies, is one of the vendors included in this report as are a number of our competitors). You have to buy the report, but the amount of research you would have to do to get this level of info on your own would take months and months making, what I feel, the cost of this report a bargin for those serious about looking at all the vendors.

Check it out if interested:

The Ultimate Guide to Web-to-Print Solutions

My friends at Printable (we work with them for VDP, although we have our own W2P solution) are correct... that's a very extensive guide, and yes, our solution, WebCRD, is included as well.

While RSA's WebCRD is available in both Hosted (Off-Site a.k.a. WebCRD OnDemand) and Licensed (On-Site), there are important considerations for both, such as IT involvement, security and bandwidth. We have a free Executive Brief that discusses the pros and cons of each. It will be on our website soon, but let me know if you want a copy.

 

[Bart Lammertyn]

Store once - Publish Many

Store once - Publish Many

Web2Print ... what's in a name ? I consider Web2Print as giving someone the possibility to :
- Order existing work
- Order existing work with modifications
- Order VDP
- Upload new design and order
- Other ?

Inevitable, a Web2Print solution is a combination of different systems and I would like to bring them back to 3 : being :Centralised Data Storage for graphic files (DAM) - ERP and Graphical Workflow.

The rest is about building a Web Interface enabling the functions that your customer wants. A gathering of Graphical Data, ERP Data and a way to address the Graphical Workflow.

Most of the companies I meet requesting W2P have an ERP and Graphical Workflow in place and are looking for the "glue" to bring them together and create a suitable interface.

ADAM Software can deliver this glue and can even help you to manage the different processes involved handling the design cycle, approval cycle, ...

If you have any questions or remarks, do not hesitate to contact me or visit our website : ADAM Software. I recommend to read the DocMaker section at ADAM Docmaker Studio.

 

[MIBUK]

As someone recommended before, if you're going to invest in a Web-2Print solution, buy the report as it will save you time, money and help you make the right decision for your type of business. When I visited Drupa, there were hundreds of W2P solutions. I bet 50% have disappeared.

Some printers use 3rd party solutions and then brand them under their name ie. I've seen this a lot with iWay from Press-Sense. Xerox and OCE use their system for their W2P solutions.

EFI's Digital Storefront (DSF) is more of a shop front that allows a user to upload documents or order templates. iWay is more back end bolt ons for Offset and MIS systems etc, but at a simple level offers a similar solution to DSF.

There is a hosting solution called Now Print, which offers printers a low entry cost into W2P. It's been in the US for 10 years and now they're looking to launch in the EU: However, I'm not sure if it's up and running yet. But, for me it seems one of the better hosted solutions.

 

[Morning Flight]

InfoTrends has an unbiased report that compares a number of the leading W2P vendors out there. You have to buy the report . . . [/url]

. . . for $399 !!!

The report may well be worth the price, but before spending that kind of money, check out a $40 book at Amazon.com: Web-to-Print Primer: Sarah McKibben, Julie Shaffer: Books

The book was published in 2007 by PIA/GATF. If you're a member, you should be able to get it for less. Lots of developments since 2007 (and June of 2008, when the InfoTrends report came out), with new vendors appearing, and established ones disappearing, every month.

W2P is here to stay, but at this point, it's staying on spindly legs. Shop for it the same way you shop for a cell phone company, with minimal commitment and up-front expense.

 

[mattbeals]

If you are looking for a B2B solution, you might want to look at DMP's FLO Suite. I believe that FLO Suite is the most flexible web2print solution on the market, has the broadest online marketing toolkit available and unlike most marketing support tools it was made for printing companies and other graphical service providers. (Adobe InDesign Server for web-to-print with DMP FLO Suite)

If anyone would like more information and a demo please let me know. I'd be happy to setup a webinar any time.

 

[Shelagh]

I would also suggest that you take a look at the InfoTrends report (Disclaimer: My company, Press-sense, is also one of the vendors included in this report ). Certainly I believe you check out one of the various products using Press-sense technology... Press-sense iWay, HP SmartStream Director, Xerox FreeFlow Web Services, Oce PRISMAweb or Presstek PathWay. The best solution for you will depend on many factors including what percentage of your work you expect to be online, how you can streamline the online work with the rest of your workflow, etc., etc.

 

[OutSourceD]

These web to print solutions are expensive and if you buy one, guess what? Your customers won't use it! I can tell you this from personal experience. I've deemed that it' s suckers game, having wasted precious cash and time.

We have settled with http:Websites for Printers and I do mean settled. It's functional, has file transfer and on-line ordering, and I will attest the support is second-to-none. But it is not everything I want it to be.

Our customers use our site to send/transfer files, but it is EXCEEDINGLY RARE for someone to actually place an on-line order. Local business is local business, Local businesses want to do business locally. They want to deal with human beings.

If you are looking to garner nationwide sales, you can forget it unless you have MILLIONS to gamble. No one can compete in online printing without deep pockets.

 

[Keith]

I agree with OutSourceD. Local businesses that want to do business locally will want to talk to a real live human being. When I first opened, all I wanted was W2P but I didn't have the fortune, I mean capital, to do it. Eventually I found Franklin Estimating's Copy Link. I liked. Nothing fancy, just a PDF converter, order entry and file upload. And guess what. My customers still email and phone in orders. So I ditched it and simply had one of my customers (who hosts my website) set me up with a file upload page. And guess what. My customers will still email a 10meg file. They'll upload if it is too big to go through but trust me, my file upload page is easy to use. I can certainly understand that W2P has a place. Hell, I have a few customers that I know would benefit from it and maybe I'll lose them if I don't get something. Which eventually I'm sure I will get something because i do love ordering my paper from my vendors website.

Keith

 

[eoncode.com]

Web 2 Print Solution That Wont Break Your Bank

Web 2 Print Solution That Wont Break Your Bank

Hi all!

I wanted to stop by and introduce my self. My name is Aaron and I am with EonCode. We are a software development company that specifically caters to the printing industry. We do have a web to print solution available with dynamic calculators and order processing. Very user friendly and options are available for hosted sites and non hosted sites. Please feel free to contact me or let me know when would be a good time to contact you. We are a local business, so you dont have to worry about your orders going to India or servers placed all over the world. Id love to help you guys get up and running with your new storefronts.

Thank you,


Aaron
EonCode

http://www.eoncode.com

 

[JohnPNE]

These web to print solutions are expensive and if you buy one, guess what? Your customers won't use it! I can tell you this from personal experience. I've deemed that it' s suckers game, having wasted precious cash and time.

We have settled with http:Websites for Printers and I do mean settled. It's functional, has file transfer and on-line ordering, and I will attest the support is second-to-none. But it is not everything I want it to be.

Our customers use our site to send/transfer files, but it is EXCEEDINGLY RARE for someone to actually place an on-line order. Local business is local business, Local businesses want to do business locally. They want to deal with human beings.

If you are looking to garner nationwide sales, you can forget it unless you have MILLIONS to gamble. No one can compete in online printing without deep pockets.

He is right about businesses wanting to be local. That is why we built our online presence the way that we did and it is doing very well. When you look at the market the only difference with online printers is customer service and that is where we shine. We also have a design and marketing end tied into the company so that local businesses dont have to hunt down a designer.

John
printnewengland.com