Thought Leadership Article by Kevin Marks | July 2022
How Digital Inkjet Printing Unlocks Productivity and Labor Efficiency across the Print and Finishing Work Cell
Kevin Marks Vice President, Print BlueCrest
By Kevin Marks, BlueCrest, and Marc Johnson, HP
functionality.
Three years into the headwinds of a global pandemic, many printers are facing challenges not previously imagined. Whether it’s paper or envelope shortages, labor availability, or other rising costs, print shops are increasingly looking for ways to increase productivity and efficiency within and across the print and finishing work cells.
CSG had already invested in BlueCrest inserters and workflow software products. When they were looking at a larger-scale refresh of their printer fleet, they turned to BlueCrest and the IntelliJet® 20 HD Printing System.
Transactional Print and Mail Communications In the transactional space, the rising cost of production drives the need to investigate and invest in more efficient equipment and processes. By switching to production level Inkjet Printing systems such as the BlueCrest IntelliJet, transactional print shops can consolidate and replace the higher operating expense of multiple toner printers. Clients report significant savings in supplies, maintenance, and leasing expenses. Additionally, transactional printers are beginning to find ways to grow their capabilities to include new applications and services. For instance, a shop that only prints billing statements is very busy on certain days of the month. How can they improve the utilization of the print and mail systems for the non-peak periods? Successful companies are growing their revenues and improving their operating margins by application expansion, including cross-selling messaging on the statement, new customer acquisition mailings, and even mail finishing insert production.
Case Study: CSG CSG is a national communication solutions provider with roots in the cable billing industry. Nearing the end of the reasonable-use life cycle of their printing systems, CSG looked to innovate and remain on the cutting edge. Their seven first-generation inkjet printers—some in place for more than a decade in their Florida and Nebraska operating centers—had served CSG well. However, CSG was concerned about their rising maintenance costs and operating expenses, their ability to handle growing workloads and more stringent service level agreements, and other limitations in print quality, job-type flexibility, and overall
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As a result, CSG saw their best efficiency improvements since they initially moved to inkjet over ten years ago. The IntelliJet printers delivered a 20% increase in throughput with a substantial improvement in reliability and uptime. BlueCrest Client Care Services is responsible for maintaining and supporting all aspects of the production process including print, inserting, and production workflow software.
Direct Mail: Acquisition, Reactivation, Retention In the direct mail production space, the tremendous growth of personalized content across the document is accelerating the migration from pre-printed offset shell/toner overprint to full digital color inkjet production. By eliminating the old multi-step process, direct mail operations can drive more sellable output per shift. And that growth of personalization is not limited to only the document. It now extends to include highly variable content imaging onto the mail envelope as well. All of the content of each piece, both inside and outside, can now be fully customized. The result is a more tailored, valuable document that delivers more value for the client. The benefit for the direct mail producer is that these highly customized materials can now be produced, with full accuracy, without additional system processing time. Our direct mailer clients report that they can often charge a high unit sale price for this new type of document production.
Case Study: ANRO ANRO Inc. is a full-service communications partner specializing in turnkey and cost-effective solutions for corporate printing, direct mail, online print management solutions, fulfillment, marketing, graphic design, digital communication services, and more. Utilizing the 30” web presses from HP, alongside enhanced finishing The Wave | July 2022
