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Opinion
We are dealing with a new data landscape. Data and document management companies have been around for decades, mostly for transactional data production. These are the companies that produce credit card statements, insurance data, and the like. They have mostly stuck to monochrome production using data formats such as AFP/IPDS to generate individual statements. The data exists only
on the page and in the fleeting moment when the page image data is created.
The new breed of this species provides print and document management services, including print production and delivery. They provide archiving services, and a secure platform for
data management. They even discourage the use of print wherever possible, on the
basis that it is more expensive
to produce and hostile to the environment. And, of course included is some sort of offsetting model. This data-management model is where the rest of the graphic industry’s future lies.
That printers and publishers
are in the data business may come as a surprise to many people, but
it really shouldn’t. The likes of Ricoh, Xerox, HP, and others have recognised this for years. Relative newcomers such as Heidelberg have done a sterling job at reinvention. But their data-driven subscription services are woefully underutilised perhaps because the people selling
“Reluctance to accept that printers and publishers are in the data business, must change. Ignoring the blindingly obvious is no way to compete in a world where the platform is the thing and data is the new oil.”
them are still digital agnostics at heart. For instance, in the UK – one of Heidelberg’s most important markets – not a single printing company has signed up for its subscription services. Upstarts such as Cloudprinter.com, Vistaprint, and Moonpig get it, and are pushing the industry forward. They are in the
minority, but they are strong and healthy businesses.
Reluctance to accept that printers and publishers are in the data business, must change. It is bad enough that printing has such
a bad reputation as regards its environmental impact. It is even worse many industry associations and manufacturers do such a rubbish job at promoting print’s environmental credentials. Ignoring the blindingly obvious is no way
to compete in a world where the platform is the thing and data is the new oil. 21
This article was produced by the Verdigris Project, an industry initiative intended to raise awareness of print’s positive environmental impact. This commentary helps printing companies keep up to date with environmental standards, and how environmentally friendly business management can help improve their bottom lines. Verdigris is supported by the following companies: Agfa Graphics, EFI, Fespa, Fujifilm, HP, Kodak, Miraclon, Ricoh,
Spindrift, Splash PR, Unity Publishing, and Xeikon.
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