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 that Frank talks of. Out in the field the bigger issue I believe is that VDP systems are poorly implemented and supported.

Preparing for Cross Media...

The issues are complex. I'm annoyed as since 2008 I've wanted to introduce a new, high performance PURL (personalised website) package to the local market. PURLs add value to variable jobs, creating powerful cross-media campaigns with amazing response rates. (See Video ). It's a practical application of what Dr Joe Webb said in 2006 - "Let Print Make New Media Better" more

However finding a good digital printshop able to run the VDP component of PURL effortlessly, automatically and without errors is my biggest single headache. Even the big packaged cross-media PURL+email+Print systems from XMPie are needlessly complex and frustrating to setup. Always a 'project' never a simple 'job'. Some operations have gone out and hired software programmers to run them, charging hundreds/thousands more. Those who have viewed the XMPie online forums will know what I mean. (Read here )

It's not a saleable package for the marketplace who won't wait, or pay 5x the price over a normal direct mail piece or 10-50x the price of an email campaign. We should be able to provide these added services at only 30-50% more than traditional print campaign, but providing all the fancy PURL, web and email stuff as well to quadruple lead generation and response rates. That would get our print customers excited towards print's benefits and cross-media options. The modern world expects it these days. More, for less...

There simply has to be a better way and with XMPie largely dropping the ball, there are several other superb PURL marketing options like Mindfire that are more affordable and easier to run. Just add in Adobe InDesign and $5,000 of good VDP software like Designmerge (video intro), to perform the variable printing element. To make it easy for printers, Mindfire can be setup as an outsourced/online service that Printers can make a good margin on. It's become very popular in the US the last 2-3 years - And no need to hire geeks!

VDP Performance; People Factors

As far as straight VDP speed back in the printshop is concerned, I vented my frustratation 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

What no one realises, is that an expertly configured VDP workflow and print system, once you hit the 'print' button on the Mac or PC, should only take 5-10% longer than when printing multiple copies of a 'normal' static job - And if you're lucky enough to be running a Creo RIP, there's no slowdown as the database or number of elements changed out increases.

The other factor that I believe has slowed the VDP uptake, is that it's often been left in the hands of the Mac designer. Setting up VDP is a production task, not something for the designer to work out. Prepress-trained people are often ideal, having a more technical, analytical approach, which likely explains why we see more VDP work done on HP Indigo sites than Xerox ones.

For image-intensive designs, there's always file repair needed, similar to the processes needed for producing good plates for offset. Programs like InDesign allowing the easy placement of PDF, PSD and RGB files doesn't help VDP performance. I've had a client job that took them 6 hours, processed in just 30 minutes at higher quality, just by reworking the supplied design files first. Now taking 6 hours on one job isn't always bad, but when you want to put through a dozen of these types of jobs in one day, then you've a problem...

Training IT staff in mailhouses could be the other big growth sector for VDP, but if they want highest speed and quality, they'll also need to hire someone with a prepress background if they're going after the colour-critical corporates. Their predicament is that they don't know a good prepress person, from a bad one.

Bottom line? It's not so much the tools that are at fault, but how we use them. 

The Forgotten Databases

Current training on VDP doesn't even address the big issue - 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 or Data mining?

For raw data supply/cleaning work there's plenty of services out there. And for CRM there's amazing online SaaS (Software as a Service) options. One I like is www.tactilecrm.com from the UK at around NZ$20/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 salesforce and infusionsoft at around NZ$70-700/mth dependent upon the package and features needed. 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.

But 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 is poorly chosen, poorly configured and with only basic training included. In one case I've seen, 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! Their solution? Buy more XMPie bits. 

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. 

Are we expecting too much from our suppliers?

Probably. Perhaps we should think of our suppliers in the same way you'd look at buying a new offset press or even a new car. It's doubtful that within the car dealership you'd find anyone that could drive the car to it's full potential, especially if it's a Ferrari. They just make the product and aren't responsible for how well you use it. They certainly don't teach you how to drive or get you 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, colour management and workflow products. Suppliers just supply it, and you're the one that needs to figure out how to use it properly. Somehow.

Maybe, as a 'race car driver', (yeah, right) I just need to setup some specialist training academies on VDP, colour and cross-media. But as several business owners have rightly noted, they've paid their suppliers good money and training SHOULD BE included. However they do get training. It's just at a superficial level. Suppliers are not working with it every day and simply lack the detailed know-how and tricks. When I think about it, these are really industry 'trade training' issues, not product training issues.

VDP - Still the Big, Untapped Opportunity

The bottom line here is we all want more print work. If the industry and our suppliers were doing it right (i.e. making it simple, fast, affordable), there would be 100x more VDP work being done and customers would be clambering for it. 

A school or academy is the better option I think. Fortunately, like driving a race car, regardless of the brand of VDP product you own, the tricks to getting it to run at very high speed, in top quality, are much the same. Just a question of me discovering where all the controls are, for the various makes and models.

In the meantime, anyone looking to change the status quo, have their VDP system run as it should and amaze their clients, contact me today. We'd love to hear from you. I've also added a new poll, above left, to get feedback on the academy idea.

  Email me at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it