Defusing the digital minefield – Print21 magazine article

More and more commercial printers are facing up to the challenge of investing in digital print solutions. But how do you find what’s right for you and your business? Warren Davey outlines some of the pitfalls of going digital, and has advice on how to chart a safe route through this potential minefield.

Many printers have either yet to invest in digital printing equipment or have opted to put a toe in the water by purchasing a relatively inexpensive higher end office machine. As the needs of printers get driven more and more towards short-run solutions, they are then faced with having to commit to a much larger investment, often without having anywhere near the depth of knowledge they would normally have when buying conventional printing equipment.

And why would they? After all, the basis of the current level of knowledge comes from people who have been brought up in a trade environment, being trained as apprentices and attending trade schools to achieve a trade qualification. Unfortunately, in the digital world, this foundation of knowledge is not there. Making large investments in digital equipment is therefore fraught with danger because a buyer only has the marketing spin of suppliers to rely upon, combined with advice from sales people who are obliged to explain why you should buy from them as opposed to their opposition. Neither one, unfortunately, is a true source of objective advice.

So what is a printer who is in this position to do? Often they end up spending a lot of time looking, comparing, testing, looking again and, over an extended period of time, getting to the point of having to make a decision, not necessarily based on being totally informed but more likely based on which supplier has made them feel the most comfortable with parting with a large amount of money. The unfortunate problem with this outcome is that all too often the one that is chosen is the one with the biggest sales and marketing budget, not necessarily the one best suited to the printer’s needs. As a result, over the years there have been some colossal mistakes made, some resulting in bankruptcy but most being carried, putting a huge impost on the bottom line.

What you should do
The first thing to do is not panic. The advancement of digital technology has slowed and so, if you think you are being left behind, you have some time to think. Once you have come to terms with your situation, the next thing to do is to take stock of why you think you need a digital solution. This sounds simple and obvious but often this question is not explored anywhere near enough and it should be, because the answer will define the foundation of the whole decision-making process. Just to ‘keep up with the competition’ is not a good enough reason by itself.

Next we move onto what sort of equipment best fits your needs, and here is where we open Pandora’s Box because it raises all the questions of quality, format, speed, capacity, flexibility, reliability, ease of use etc. Concurrently, you need answers for which systems and infrastructure are required to feed the equipment, finish the output and invoice for the completed work, all the while considering the knowledge of production and sales staff to ensure that, once the system is installed, not only can you produce jobs effectively but you can sell them as well, something that is often taken for granted.

And then we get down which supplier will provide the best support for everything just mentioned. Which one has the best focus to provide specialised support not only for technical support, but also practical, real-world production support, something else that is often overlooked. Lastly, we get to the financials, cost of running, cost of ownership, return on investment, etc.

The easy way out
At this point, one could be forgiven for running to the nearest big supplier for help and security. After all, who else has got all the answers in one spot? And this can be true, but unfortunately taking the easy way out doesn’t always result in the best long-term outcome because while a sense of security may be there, profitability may not.

To achieve the best solution, it is important be vigilant and stick to your own plan. Ask as many questions as possible, even the ones that may seem ridiculous, but importantly, establish the background of the sales representatives you are dealing with and thus the level of broad knowledge they have of digital printing. Years of experience in the printing industry does not necessarily translate into knowledge of the digital printing industry, nor does working for only one company for a long time.

Don’t dismiss the lower profile technologies and don’t be put off by any lack of polish, compared to the OEMs. Just because the representation is lacking by comparison, it doesn’t mean that everything else is. Lastly, seek independent references that don’t have any bias or allegiances; often the best ones can be found outside of Australia.