Mass customization for print production

Print production is most cost-effective when it is standardized. However a standardized production process doesn’t allow the flexibility to meet unique customer needs since tuning production for each customer quickly increases costs. The solution to this dilemma lies in the manufacturing philosophy of "mass customization."

Mass customization combines the efficiencies of mass production with the flexibility of custom manufacturing and is based on the notion of customizing what’s visible and standardizing what’s invisible to the customer. For example, in the automobile manufacturing industry – Volkswagen, with only four standard platforms, manufactures over 30 different vehicles. Amazingly, the Volkswagen Beetle and Audi TT sit on the same chassis as the Volkswagen Jetta, Golf, Audi A3, Skoda, and SEAT offerings in Europe. The secret is that the parts the customer doesn’t see are standard across the different car models but the parts that the customer sees are unique to each model. Translated into printing terms, this means the printer standardizes on the few, key, presswork characteristics that provide maximum visible customization from the print-buyer perspective. These characteristics are then pre-tested and integrated into the production workflow. When the sales representative discusses the project with the client, one of the standardized (to the printer) packages can then be offered as an alternative “custom-tailored” solution for the buyer.

The key to success is in developing, pre-testing, and standardizing options rather than waiting for a specific customer request or experimenting on live jobs.

Here are just a few thought-starters for the kinds of standards that can be established within a multiple-standards print shop to customize presswork to better meet individual print buyer's needs:

1) 175 lpi GRACoL7. Standard commodity presswork.
2) 175 lpi at Dmaxx. This is presswork run at higher-than-standards solid ink densities (about 30+ points) in order to provide more saturated color.
3) FM/stochastic screening to provide near-contone fidelity and photographic detail.
4) C(2M)YK. This is CMYK with an alternate magenta ink hue. Changing the Magenta ink between two different hues allows favoring intense reds and oranges or blues and purples.
5) Hi-Fi via a ink set that uses more than the four process colors in order to expand the color gamut for better image fidelity or to replace spot colors through more effective screen tint builds.

iPhone Prepress - Australia style

Dwane Hollands of Hollands Print Solutions Australia (http://www.hollands.com.au/) has what is likely one of the most unique workflows in the business – he can manage his prepress via iPhone.
At his current imaging speed he can do 12 plates an hour with two plate cassettes dedicated to his four colour Sakurai A2 machine. That equates to about 120 plates (60 plates per cassette) and, all things going well, he could drive a 10 hour, lights-out shift until his CtP ran out of plates and required human intervention.

However, his concern was about what would happen if something goes wrong and plate output stops during the night shift after the last person leaves the building. So he came up with a way to monitor the CtP Controller while he is off site. Since Kodak installs a VNC server on the Controller so they can dial in and operate the machine for remote servicing, Dwane took the same route and downloaded a free VNC client for his iPhone. At first he connected via Hollands' internal WiFi network and was able to log onto the VNC Server for the Magnus CtP controller. He then took it up a notch by implementing a VPN (Virtual Private Network) connection. With that setup he can click on windows and use menus. Zoom in using the pinch out and pan with his finger. He has also connected via the 3G network using his VPN and was again able to view and interact with the Magnus controller. The beauty of the VPN method is that he can connect to any VNC machine on the network - including his Matchprint and Prinergy Servers. On Leopard Macs, such as his iMac, he's able to simply switch on "Screen Sharing" to enable remote control, so it's cross platform as well.

While there are some teething issues (it disconnects after 6 or 7 minutes) he thinks the likely cause is his lack of VPN expertise or the free software he is using. That being said, as it currently operates, it's completely effective for the company's needs as it only takes about 30 seconds to see if the machine is still outputting plates, or if it requires a shop visit to fix the problem. Ironically enough, at the moment the only thing stopping Hollands from running a lights out night shift is the fact that someone lives next to their factory and the compressor for the CtP is quite loud and runs frequently. Even so, now there's nothing stopping Dwane from working 24/7 from anywhere he finds himself.

Print buyers, dollars, and sense

Print buyers often say their purchase decision is based solely on price – even when they know it’s not true. Unfortunately, print salespeople, brainwashed by hearing this over and over again, tend to believe the buyer. Buyers know the strategy works – so they use it. Counter this argument with a total value approach.

Print consists of product and service. Analyze the customer’s success factors for the project in product and service terms. Look beyond what the customer says is important to include criteria from similar projects as well as the customer’s history. Look beyond the cost of your part of the project and look at what you could do to reduce the buyer’s overall project cost. Your print quote should reflect the customer’s unique needs and objectify the value you bring to the table by putting a dollar value on the benefits the customer will receive by dealing with you.

When you get the job, make sure that the reasons for getting the job are communicated to everyone in the production process so that they can help validate, through their work, the buyer's decision to award their business to your shop.

Print is a Craft. Print is a Science.

Printing is traditionally thought of as a craft-based industry. However, with print manufacturing becoming increasingly digital and automated, and processes more scientific and objective, it can be hard to see any room for craftsmanship remaining in the process.
Consider that print production actually begins in the mind of the creative designer. From the printer’s point of view, the process of translating those ideas and expectations effectively into ink-on-paper value begins at the earliest stages of the sales cycle – the project brief or request for quote.
The printer’s craft is critical in the relationship between sales, planner, and customer. It is the craft of forging effective communication, the conversion of concept into specifications, the weighing of options, and the art of negotiation.
And because no press design nor press environment is perfect, the printer’s craft is still critical in enabling the press operator to maintain the customer’s presswork intent and expectations as they are translated into ink on paper – despite all the variables that can impact presswork integrity.

What makes them so special?

Is there a printer that you think is doing an outstanding job? Even though they may be a competitor? Why not find out what makes them so special? Since it’s not unusual for printers to subcontract presswork to cover peaks in demand, or to deliver specialty presswork, why not subcontract to the printer you admire? Even if they come in at a higher price than you would have charged, the experience gained by studying their processes might inspire you to discover new ways to make your own business something special.

A "Marketing Services Provider" approach to print sales

True sales professionals establish and develop their skills to manage a complex sales scenario. They typically enter a buying culture that positions print as an undifferentiated commodity. As a result, the sales professional must use their ability to collect customer and job data, uncover broader business issues, develop solutions from their expert standpoint, and then develop the strategies required to align the printer’s production system to deliver the appropriate solution. Sales must also endeavor to make buyers realize their payback – the value proposition – they derive from the printer’s uniqueness. This allows Sales to sell more of the value of their solution, which in turn will give the print buyer more effective print communication pieces while helping the printer maintain their margins along the way. As this process develops over time, the sales person gets to know the account intimately and learns how to shape the printer’s solutions so that they evolve with the print buyer’s needs and always form the right fit. When Sales only has one print solution or standard, it makes it hard to tailor it to meet customer needs. One print-production method and presswork standard, SWOP or GRACoL for example, may save time and cost in the cases when just that solution fits the customer’s needs just right, but otherwise it may push the sales person and the printer further into a commodity position where price is the sole differentiator.

Adding value beyond print – Japs-Olson Co.

One of the popular topics at Print '09 concerned printers adding value beyond just ink-on-paper. As the 1950s advertising ruler that I bought on my trip to the show demonstrates, the idea of including services going beyond print is not a new idea. In this case, the Japs-Olson company, in addition to printing and stationery, offers...furniture!

"Click image to enlarge"
Other print advertising rulers can be seen by clicking HERE

Secret Shopper

Large corporations often use “secret shoppers” – employees posing as customers – as an objective way to see just how well their customer service is actually performing. Why not ask one of your customers to be your secret shopper? Create a list of print buyer processes, from sales, quotation, prepress, proofing, presswork, bindery, finishing, etc., right out to final delivery. Ask your secret shopper to evaluate your company’s performance (below average, average, above average) in each area. In particular, ask them to note how your performance compared to their expectations, as well as your competition, at each phase of the process. A gift certificate for dinner or a modest discount on their next print order might prove an effective incentive.

Believing is seeing - improving the decision-making process

Although we probably all hope to make business decisions in a clear, logical manner, unfortunately our decision making process can easily be compromised without our even being aware that it's happening. Our decision-making processes whether it's about new equipment purchases or press-check approvals is often exploited by vendor sales and marketing people - to their advantage.
Here are some of the classic effects we may fall prey to. It can be a good idea, during any decision-making process, to take a step back and review these effects to be certain that you haven't fallen prey to one of them.
Halo Effect - Something is rated highly simply because there already exists a positive impression of its source. For example, hardware from a respected or existing supplier often rates higher than hardware from an unknown vendor even though an objective analysis might prove otherwise.
Reflection Effect - Employees provide input to the decision making process, for better or worse, based on their perception of management.
Belief Effect - Personal decision making is given over to an outside trusted source because the individual does not have the skills needed to make the decision. This can happen even if the trusted source may not have the skills to make the right decision themselves. We may reject something if we have a bias against the person, organization, or group to which the person belongs – however we are usually inclined to accept a statement by someone we like.
Demand Effect – We conform to the decision making expectations that we believe others have of someone in our position.
Mob Effect – The individual's perception of a situation, or decision to be made, is altered to conform to the opinions held by the group.
Selective Effect - The individual selectively searches for facts that support certain conclusions but disregards other facts that support different conclusions. We may actively screen-out information that we do not think is important. Later, we may distort our memories of chosen and rejected options to justify the chosen options.
Expediency Effect - The individual, or group, prematurely ends the search for information, often by accepting the first alternative that looks like it might work. This action is based on the idea that making a decision is better than no decision at all or of continued protracted arguments/discissions.
Optimism Effect - We tend to want to see things in a positive light and this can distort our perception and thinking. Often referred to as wishful thinking.
Recency Effect - We tend to place more attention on more recent information and either ignore or forget more distant information.
Repetition Effect - A willingness to believe the things that we have been told most often and by the greatest number of different of sources.

"We see people and things not as they are, but as we are."
- Anthony de Mello (1931 - 1987) Jesuit Priest

Reflect the customers you want to retain

The environment we create, personal or business, home or office, is a reflection of our preferences, attitudes, and capabilities. In order to enter new markets, attract new customer prospects, or help retain existing customers, pay a visit to their offices to see the environment they work within. Then take a critical look at your buildings, offices, reception area, washrooms – all the areas of your business that customers will see. The better your facilities mirror your prospect’s environment the more comfortable they will feel that they're "in the right place" with people who understand their unique needs and, as a result, the greater opportunity you will have of becoming their preferred supplier.

"Know Thyself" - Which car brand are you?

From a legal point of view, when a printshop becomes incorporated it marks the formation of a legal entity that is effectively recognized as a person under the law. And, like any other person, the printshop has a "personality" – its face to the market and the customers it serves. From a marketing and sales point of view, it is very useful for management and front-line workers to have a clear and unanimous understanding of the personality that the printshop wishes to embody and project to its public. Doing so can help guide everything from investments in new equipment and services, to the decor used in the plant. It also helps set customer expectations for the experience they will have when they do business with the shop.

Which car brand are you?

Better defining and understanding your printshop's personality can be helped by borrowing a technique used in marketing - asking the simple question: "If your business was a car, which brand of car would it be and what would its personality traits be?"

Here are some (briefly) detailed ideas to get you started, each of which could be expanded to cover every aspect of your business.

BMW "The ultimate print machine." We emphasize the equipment and technology we apply to print projects. We compete on value - not on price - to print specifiers and buyers who can appreciate what we bring to the table. Our lobby is spartan and contemporary and proudly shows the many international awards for print quality that we've garnered. Our press room is a showcase of excellence.

Toyota Prius "Harmonizing quality, value, and the environment." We emphasize how our print processes meet the print quality needs of our customers while minimizing the impact on the environment. We are not the low cost provider, instead we compete on sustainable value by nurturing long term relationships rather than operating on just a job by job basis. Our lobby mingles local awards for print quality and from sustainability organizations. Our press room demonstrates our environmental initiatives with dedicated recycle and reuse areas.

SMART car "Two and four-up jobs are where we excel." We're nimble and are able to turn around jobs quickly. Although we're a small shop, we can provide much of the expertise you'll find with the big shops - and we've got a few print quality awards to show for it. We compete by providing a very personal service with great value for the dollar performance. Our pressroom is quite small so, instead, we concentrate more our customer facing areas such as our storefront, lobby comfort, and on-line print order system.

MACK truck "The long run specialist." We're the big iron - so we stay with what we do best: long press runs and contract work. Our facilities haven't changed much over the years, although we do have a few bits and pieces of the latest technology. Our customers aren't that interested in awards, but we do submit work for judging, after all it does show that we are proud of our work and it does help to cement relationships with our customers. Our pressrooms are huge and not really suited for our customers to visit - so we have a small visitor area where they can relax on the rare occasion they may need to see a job on press. Because of our size we consume a great deal of resources, and because of customer concern we will be looking into implementing some sustainability programs.

Of course there are many more cars, and personalities, to explore to help you define your own unique corporate personality.

Print in the internet age – a customer's perspective raises some questions

It's a story we've likely all heard before, however, Paul Roy, Manager of Coldwell Banker Tomlinson Associated Brokers in Washington, is particularly clear with his thoughts, as a print buyer speaking to his customers the advertisers on the shift of real estate advertising, from print (newspapers and magazines) media spend to the internet. As such this five minute video may provide some insight to help you in reviewing the clients you are currently serving with presswork that potentially may also move to the web.



Please press the play arrow to view the video. Note that it may stop for a moment while the video buffers in the background.
What percentage of your current customer base are likely to move away from your print offerings to the web in the next six to twelve months? Can you counter with reasons that resonate with your customers as to why they should remain with print - if not for 100% perhaps for some percentage of their media spend? Are there ways that Paul has overlooked where print can bring greater communications value than the web? Is the current vendor push of personalized digital print really an effective counter to the web? What marketing communications are likely not appropriate for the web and as such worth developing as a niche area of expertise.

The Color Atlas - helping designers to specify color

Way back when, because all their "camera-ready" art was done in black and white, designers would specify screen tint color builds by using published reference Color Atlas guides like the generic Kuepper's book which showed examples of hundreds of CMYK screen tint build combinations:Or this poster of screen tint combinations:Because they were based on, loosely defined (at the time) universal standards, the use of a color atlas, in my case, even allowed me to communicate color for presswork in countries, like China, where I did not otherwise understand the language:The prepress shop/printer would use pieces of screened film, according to my specification of X% Cyan, X% Magenta, X%Yellow, etc., stripped into flats to create the image on plate that would result in the requested color on press. Today, that specification happens in an illustration or page layout program – however the principle is the same.
Of course, a generic Color Atlas could not reflect the color performance of an individual printshop. As a result many printers would create, and provide their customers with their own unique CMYK Color Atlas like this one from Agency Press with the same screen tint builds printed on four different types of paper:As long as the creative specified their color builds according to the printer's guide in the Atlas they would have a reasonable expectation as to the color that would happen on the press. Some might argue that this is ancient technology, however, for printers who want to clearly set print buyer expectations - a Color Atlas still represents the reality of actual "ink-on-paper" performance – especially if the printer's presswork is outside of industry norms. For example, Hennegan Press:who wanted to show their color capabilities with 10 micron FM. Or Fort Dearborn in Chicago helping their customers specify 7-color process printing with their HiColour system (also FM screening):or Anderson Litho communicating their ability to mimic metallic paint for car brochures (also FM screening):or Intelligencer Printing demonstrating their metallic print capabilities in this superb brochure (also FM screening):Even with today's sophisticated color management systems, the savvy printer would do well to consider producing their own Color Atlas to smooth the color communications channel with their customers - especially if the print shop is doing work beyond the mundane standards for color printing.

Update December 15, 2009: Heidelberg has just published their own color atlas - click on this POST for details:

R.O.I.

Lack of productivity and high manufacturing costs are often attributed to a failure to install new technologies and the latest types of automation. Indeed, achieving a lean, efficient, and effective print-manufacturing process requires improvement of the process in every feasible way. However, technology, by itself, is rarely able to deliver a return on investment unless the printer also makes an equal investment in innovation. New tools used with old skills, old knowledge, and old attitudes will not extract value from new technologies.

When you think about "Return On Investment" you need to also think about "Return On Innovation."

Creating Custom Halftone Dots

When we think about halftone dots we're usually thinking in the traditional terms of Round, Elliptical, Square, etc., however, halftone dots don't have to be restricted to such simple shapes. For specialty projects you might consider using a custom halftone dot (click on images to enlarge).

Perhaps a "Star" dot to reflect the iconic status of the subject:
Or you could even use the subject itself as the dot shape:
How to create a custom halftone dot

A halftone screen is built using several components. The two that are needed to create a custom halftone are the "spot function" which defines the shape of the dot and the "threshold array" which determines how each dot is created.
The spot function can be any graphic, including a photographic image. It should be visually simple, made up of 256 levels of grey and fit into a square shape.
For this example we'll use the Apple logo for the spot function - making it our custom halftone dot.To convert it into a threshold array we'll use the blend tool in Adobe Illustrator:On the left is the original logo in Illustrator. Next is the logo at two sizes - the small black apple in front of the larger white logo. The third graphic is a 256 level Illustrator blend of the small black apple and large white one. The graphic is then imported into PhotoShop and cropped to minimize the amount of white in the graphic. This will become our threshold array: The Apple logo threshold array.
To apply the custom halftone dot:

1) In Photoshop, reduce the apple image to make a "dot" the size desired for the final image. For example: an image that is 75 pixels wide would make 8 dots per inch for a 600 pixel wide image. Use "Image"--> Image Size to change the entire image as required.

2) Select the apple image with the Rectangle Selection Tool. Then choose Edit--> Define Pattern. Give it a name (in this case "Apple logo") and press OK.
3) Halftone the original image by choosing Image--> Mode--> Bitmap. For "Method", choose "Custom Pattern" and then choose the "Apple logo" pattern. Then enter an Output Resolution. The amount entered will determine how small the halftone dot will be in the final image. The higher the number, the smaller the dots. Choose a resolution that is a multiple of your target output device's resolution. For example, if your output device has a resolution of 2,400 dpi, choose 2,400, 1200, 600, or 300 dpi for the bitmap.
Click OK.

Voila! Steve Jobs is now rendered with a custom halftone using the Apple logo as the dot shape.
While black and white images are the easiest to do as well as the most effective, it is possible, with a bit more experimentation to do a 4/C image. This one uses the Star dot. Click on image to enlarge:

Because you can't rotate the halftone screens for each of the process colors - the trick is to take each process color channel and rotate it to the correct angle, screen it and then rotate back so that they overlay correctly and recompose the image. Here is the step by step process: Open each channel as a new document. Rotate each channel to the correct angle: C +15º, M+75º, Y 0º, K +45º.
Convert each channel to a bitmap using the pattern/threshold array. Convert each channel back to greyscale. Rotate each one back to its original 0º state, C -15º, M-75º, Y 0º, K -45º. Finally, return each bitmapped channel into a composite CMYK image and align the channels.

Print as Manufacturing?

From the print customer’s perspective, buying print is unlike any other buying experience. Imagine if cars were manufactured and purchased the way print is.
The buyer would describe in general terms what sort of car they would like to have and make a request for a car manufacturing quote from a variety of car makers who may not be equally qualified to build it. The buyer then makes the purchase decision, perhaps based on price – "not too high, not too low" or perhaps based on a relationship with the car manufacturer's sales rep. Once the the selection of manufacturer is made, most of the raw materials and specifications needed to build the car are provided by the customer who, typically, has only a vague idea about how cars are built. The car manufacturer purchases a few required materials – however, they are provided with no specifications as to their manufacturing suitability. Then a car is mocked up as "proof" of concept using materials that only partially resemble the materials that will be used to build the final car. Then, after customer approval of the proof, the car buyer may opt to watch their car being manufactured so that they can make adjustments to the look of the car while it's being built.
Now, that’s manufacturing!

Be an Alien

To discover opportunities for building strong relationships with print buyers, try looking at all your customer touch points as if you were an alien explorer. Step out of your office and imagine yourself coming from some far away city with the mission of seeking out new printshop civilizations – boldly going where no print buyer has gone before – deep into the realm of Possible New Print Supplier (PNPS).
Explore your facility from this alien perspective, starting from the shop exterior as you park your terrestrial transport vehicle. Does the PNPS environment feel hostile or welcoming? Are the inhabitants engaging or stand-offish? Are they more concerned with your welfare and concerns or theirs? Do they offer guidance so that you can thrive in their unique environment? Do they respect your customs or expect you to adapt to their ways? Do they offer any materials to help bridge any communications gap? Is the feeling you have consistent throughout the PNPS realm right from entry to the delivery bay? Is this a PNPS that you would be proud to bring your associates and superiors to? Finally, is this PNPS one that would be worthwhile returning to and spending your resources with in order to establish trade relations?

The value of the relationship

Long-term relationships between print buyer and supplier have both good and bad aspects. Generally, the benefit is to the seller rather than the buyer, which is why long-term relationship building is worth the investment in time and energy. With a long-term relationship buyers lose their objectivity – personal and emotional factors can overwhelm objective decision-making. Also, as print buyers become dependent on the seller’s systems, they are less likely to seriously look at competitive offerings for fear of steep learning curves and/or compatibility with legacy work. Competing sellers find it harder and harder to effectively penetrate the print buyer’s organization and decision making structure and therefore they end up making fewer calls to buyers who they feel – rightly or wrongly – are “locked-in” to steady vendors. Buyers also become lethargic, waiting until the last minute to submit increasingly less specific requests for quotes based on the assumption that their printer intuitively knows what they really want. This, in turn, makes it more difficult for competing printers to respond with an effective, competitive proposal.

You are who you compete against.

Who your customers have you compete against not only tells you a great deal about how you are perceived by that individual print buyer, but by other prospective customers as well. What shared characteristics do you think caused the print buyer to group you with those specific printers? Was it equipment, services, capabilities? Are you competing against the printers you would have chosen had you been the print buyer? If not, why not? Finally, and most importantly, if you think the companies that print buyers associate you with to compete against are inappropriate, what are you actually going to do to correct the perception?

‘Custom’ is six-eighths of ‘customer.’

Presswork expectations are different from print buyer to print buyer. The presswork that one customer may require might be rejected outright by another – like the limited edition artist pictured above. Also, each print buyer will have different priorities and expectations from one project to another. Today pleasing color for a flyer. Tomorrow hi-fidelity for an Annual Report. One size – or presswork standard – does not fit all. However, if you tailor your production workflow and presswork look to meet the individual customer’s requirements for the specific job at hand, you are no longer simply providing a commodity but rather becoming a valued partner – and you are also differentiating yourself. While you may not be able to charge any extra, your customer-centric capabilities may make the difference between your getting the project vs your competition.