As Frank Romano comments in the video (above) a couple years back - Our suppliers are screwing it all up. But it's not just a standards issue either. Out in the field the bigger issue us that VDP systems are poorly implemented and supported

Preparing for PURL and Cross-Media

The issues are complex. I'm annoyed as I'm about to introduce an exciting new, high performance PURL marketing package to the local market.

PURL tools add value to direct mail, creating powerful cross-media campaigns for amazing response rates. No more lousy one percent responses.  Amazing ROIs ensure it's easy to sell and market to new or existing clients. It's a practical application of what Dr Joe Webb said in 2006 - "Let Print Make New Media Better"  His presentation here

However finding a good digital printshop able to run the VDP component of PURL effortlessly, automatically and without errors is my biggest single headache. In fact even the big packaged cross-media PURL+Print systems from XMPie are needlessly costly, complex and time consuming to setup. Some operations have been forced to go out and hire a major geek or software programmer to run them! Which never actually resolves the performance issues.

There simply has to be a better way, and with XMPie largely dropping the ball, there appears to be others coming to market, some as low cost, online SaaS services to cover PURLs and cross-media campaigns.

As far as VDP speed is concerned, I vented my anger on a recent blog by esteemed industry colleague, Eliot Harper, who was actually talking about the performance problems around the most popular VDP software, uDirect from XMPie. It appeared that for many jobs, uDirect appears to run at a fraction of the speed of other Quark/InDesign VDP plugins like Darwin, or my favourite, Designmerge. Read about it here

An expertly configured VDP workflow and print system should run only marginally slower than when printing multiple copies of a 'normal' static job!

Who's taking on the responsibility of making it work?

In nearly all cases I find that the VDP software and hardware solutions installed by most of our suppliers here (and worldwide) is poorly chosen, poorly configured and with only basic user training included. Spending more than 2-3 days training is deemed 'unnecessary' or too costly.  In one case, thousands of dollars worth of extra training by XMPie themselves left the user in little better state in terms of productivity, than before he arrived!

What I find odd, is that users left in this predicament simply aren't complaining! Me, I would be off to my solicitor or demanding my money back from the supplier. If it were a press hardware problem, printshop owners don't hesitate. But as it's software, we're all happy to accept rubbish product and support. 

Current training on VDP doesn't even address the big issue of how to help print clients build their own clean databases, which are needed for every VDP job. Has any print supplier ever mentioned the term CRM? In this regard, there's only one choice. An online, SaaS solution. (Software as a Service). Two I really like are www.tactilecrm.com from the UK at around NZ$18/mth which is ideal for home businesses and non-profits. And for serious business use, complete with high-end email marketing package and e-commerce options there's www.infusionsoft.com at around NZ$275-400/mth. Ten times better (and cheaper) than those nasty desktop options from Microsoft and others. Oh, and if you don't like your accounting package (e.g. MYOB), there's an SaaS equivalent here from www.xero.com Again, ten times better than the old desktop software.

Anyway, I digress. Our VDP problems reminds me of the issues I had with our graphic design training schools 15-20 years back, when I ran a few prepress troubleshooting and preflight courses. I complained that they only covered InDesign, Quark, Freehand, Photoshop etc up to the print dialogue box. Their reply? "That's the printers job to teach users the print and colour management aspects. Not ours. We teach design".

Am I being too harsh?

So, it appears supplier VDP training is also focused upon the pure design aspect and how the VDP plugin works. None on the printing aspect, optimising speed or workflow efficiency. 

Perhaps we should think of our vendors in the same way you'd look at your 'local' Ferrari car dealer (if you have one). It's doubtful that within the dealership you'd find anyone that could drive the car to it's full potential. They just make the product and aren't responsible for how you use it. They certainly don't teach you how to drive or get your license. Just show you where the controls are and drive you around the block at 50km/hr.

Maybe it's the same with VDP and workflow products. Suppliers just supply it, and you're the one that needs to figure out how to use it at maximum speed. Somehow.

Maybe, as a 'Ferrari driver', (yeh, right) I just need to setup some specialist training academys on VDP? Like a car, regardless of the brand of VDP product you own, the tricks to getting it to run at very high speed are much the same. In the meantime, anyone looking to change the status quo and have their VDP system run as it should? (Yes, even XMPie). We'd love to hear from you. 

  Phone me on 09-889 0954 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it