Working the Document LifeCycle – When to Move a Job From Offset to Digital

May 15, 2008 -- Lexington, Kentucky USA – More than 400 industry professionals registered to participate in the WhatTheyThink.com free educational webinar: Working the Document LifeCycle – When to Move a Job From Offset to Digital. The event, broadcast on Wednesday, May 14, 2008, was sponsored by Océ North America. Gail Nickel-Kailing, managing editor of WhatTheyThink’s new Going Green website and blog and managing director of Business Strategies Etc., moderated the panel.

The event archive, which offers a PDF of the visual presentation and an MP3 of the audio portion, can be accessed here.

“As technology has evolved and improved, digitally-printed products have become nearly indistinguishable to the average user from those produced on traditional offset equipment,” said Randy Davidson, President, WhatTheyThink. “The ‘inflection point’ at which all costs are equal across both processes varies in each operation and can be a challenge to determine. This valuable session examines the decision process and will be extremely useful for print service providers who want to offer their customers short run digital services.”

Participating on the panel for this session were:

• Ray Schmidt, Vice President, One Write, Lancaster OH
• Mounir Murad, President, Imaging Zone, Springfield VA

“Our panelists examined the decision process that printers implement to reach the digital ‘sweet spot’ in their operations,” said Gail Nickel-Kailing, Business Strategies Etc., organizer and moderator of this session. “Because print service providers can offer both production processes on the same floor, they have to choose which workflow is appropriate for the job at hand.”

Considerations that contribute to the final choice include:

• Job length
• Number of pages in the document
• Client specifications
• Turnaround time
• Overall quality sensitivity
• Price to client
• Cost of manufacturing

In the end, one must use common sense. Different operations have different cost structures, and different devices vary significantly in both their initial cost and the cost of operation.

Océ N.V. is a leading international provider of digital document management technology and services. The company’s solutions are based on Océ’s advanced software applications that deliver documents and data over internal networks and the Internet to printing devices and archives -- locally and around the world. Supporting the workflow solutions are Océ digital printers and scanners, considered the most reliable and productive in the world. Océ also offers a wide range of display graphics, consulting and outsourcing solutions.

Océ employs around 24,000 people, with 2007 revenues of approximately $4.6 billion, operates in more than 90 countries and maintains research and manufacturing centers in the Netherlands, the United States, Canada, Germany, France, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Romania and Singapore. Océ North America revenues represented approximately half of Océ’s worldwide business in 2007, and employment is currently 11,000. For more information about Océ, visit www.oceusa.com.

WhatTheyThink is the printing and publishing industry's leading online media organization; offering a wide range of publications delivering unbiased, real-time market intelligence, industry news, economic and trend analysis, peer-to-peer communication, and special reports on emerging technology and critical events. Serving a membership base of more than 50,000, WhatTheyThink also hosts webinars and live events as well as providing content through a syndication program, which delivers content directly to related websites and through RSS. To learn more go to: www.whattheythink.com.

A business advisor and problem solver, Gail Nickel-Kailing, Managing Director of Business Strategies Etc., provides business counsel and marketing assistance to companies seeking to increase profits and revenues and reduce costs through business process improvement and implementation of information or workflow management systems.

More than 25 years of independent consulting, adjunct executive services, and senior positions in a variety of technology and service companies including the US Postal Service, have given her hands-on experience and insight into the challenges of designing, producing, and distributing marketing collateral, direct mail, and other communication documents.

Ms. Nickel-Kailing, also Managing Editor of Going Green, WhatTheyThink’s new blog and website, is a nationally recognized speaker on a wide range of subjects and brings enthusiasm and a unique blend of experience to the podium. As an industry analyst and journalist contributing to publications in the US, Canada, India, and Brazil, Gail has covered a number of “beats,” particularly printing and mailing, including print on demand, variable data printing, and direct mail.

Gail Nickel-Kailing can be reached at gail@whattheythink.com or visit www.business-strategies-etc.com.

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