Web to Print and Personalised Online Mailing Services

In recent years you may have noticed the growing trend to use online companies to create items such as leaflets, posters, business cards and other print activity . Web to print, also known as web2print and print e-commerce, is a term referring to print services available via websites.

Usually the website will provide users with a way to upload finished image and artwork files from a computer and/or a document editor that allows the user to manipulate their print design.

Once the user is happy with their design, they can get an exact price for the number of copies they require and once payment has been made the company will print and finish the item as requested.

Normally this type of online print allows users to order multiple copies of a single design that will then be posted to a single address

Online Mailing Services

Online mailing services are different to web to print services in that the user is not creating a single item that will be copied many times; instead the user uploads a list of names and addresses of people they wish to mail their print item to.

When producing the print items, the data is combined with the artwork to create a mailing item that can be sent from the printer to the end recipient via a mail provider.

By having items mailed straight from the print company users no longer have to wait for their items to be delivered to them before having handwritten or labelled addresses affixed, along with stamps, and being put in the post once more to be mailed to the end recipient.

Personalised Online Mailing Services

Personalised online mailing services take the next step forward, along with using the users’ data to create the addresses on the back of the print item, these services allow the user to use information in their data to personalise the mailing to each end user.

This could mean adding the user’s name on the front of the item in a large colourful font, including details of their recent purchases or suggesting new purchases, or changing the copy so it becomes relevant to the recipient. Clever systems such as Hello Market allow the user to change images on the printed items so Mr Smith may receive an image of a man gardening, whereas Mrs Johnson may receive an image of a woman driving a car, the user has complete control.

Along with allowing you to upload your own data, some services allow you to select data from a built in database by specifying criteria such as the age, gender, and location of the people you’d like to contact.

Pros and Cons

As with all services there are pros and cons

Pros:

• When using direct websites there are usually no quotes, you’ll get an exact price to pay.
• Customers do not have to speak to an account handler or similar employee who has to request various details and documents from the customer.
• Digital printers allow the user’s design to be printed extremely quickly without having to use lengthier traditional printing techniques.
• Usually you can’t set up a credit account with online services, but you can always give them a call they may be quite accommodating.

Cons:

• Customers do not have to speak to an account handler or similar employee who has to request various details and documents from the customer.
• Digital printers allow the user’s design to be printed extremely quickly without having to use lengthier traditional printing techniques.

Summary

Modern technology now allows self employed people or small businesses access to print facilities that were previously only available to larger companies with a larger budget and this means that business owners can now use personalised online print services to contact their customers with professional quality print whenever they need to.

Although marketing may be an obvious choice, customer correspondence, event invites, reminder mailings and many other business applications are ideal for personal online mailing services.

Small print runs are ideal for digital print, but if you want to send out 100,000 items of direct mail you might be better off giving DMP a call…