We’re going to begin this blog on digital printing of your recurring materials – manuals, sales sheets, labels, trade show materials, stationery, etc. – with some tough questions. Ready?

Which takes up more physical space – 1,000 training manuals stacked on shelves in a closet (or behind someone’s desk) or a gigabyte of data?

Which is easier to edit – 843 out of date printed training manuals or one digital file of a training manual?

Which becomes obsolete and ends up in the recycle bin faster – 817 training manuals with out of date information, or a digital file that can be easily edited and quickly printed using digital printing technology?

We’re betting you got 100% right!

With Offset Printing More Was Less. With Digital Printing, Just Enough Is Perfect.

In the old days of offset printing, when the way to get lower per unit pricing was to print large quantities, it made sense to print a lot of those materials that you used over and over, such as manuals, product sheets, labels, etc. The printed materials took up a lot of space – space that could have been used for an employee or two. There was a time-honored retrieval system –sending someone to dig through boxes or stacks in a backroom (or under someone’s desk). Best of all, when these materials became dated or obsolete it gave you the opportunity to use expletives like, “Darn it all!” Because it had taken a lot of time and money to print them, and now it was going to take more time and money to print corrected versions – and of course you need ten manuals today.

So should you print another thousand..?

The 4 Ways Digital Printing Saves Time, Money, Space and Expletives

Those wasteful days are over, thanks to digital printing. You reap four enormous benefits:

Lower Costs

Digital printing has quick, lower cost setup times so per unit costs for smaller runs are less expensive than offset printing. Smaller print runs are now economical.

2. Less Inventory and Storage Space

Updating a digital file and having just enough materials printed is quick and less expensive, so you can recover all of that wasted storage space and reduce inventories of documents or other materials.

3. Just In Time, Appropriate Quantities: No More Wasted Paper

Digital printing has faster turnaround times than offset printing, so you can order just the quantities of materials that you need when you need them – since you can quickly edit your materials and print more as needed, they don’t become obsolete.

4. Customization with Variable Data

Every printed piece off a digital press can be different using variable data, so digital printing allows you to personalize your materials, or to add tracking features such as serial numbers, barcodes, or QR codes.

Customization and personalization support your sales efforts. As one example, imagine you are at a trade show meeting with a coveted client. In the old days you might hand her a presentation folder full of generic materials, such as product sheets. With digital printing you hand her a presentation folder with her and her company’s name on the front, plus personalized sales sheets within. They are essentially the same sales sheets you’re giving everyone, but what a difference to your client to have them personalized to her! Digital printing’s ability to handle variable data and make every image off the press different is the key to giving your documents a value added edge.

Seven Periodic Printing Projects that Digital Printing Improves

Digital Printing for Trade Show Materials

Rather than storing boxes of dated flyers, brochures, presentation folders, banners and other materials, simply update your digital files to fit the current show.

Digital Printing for Product Sheets and Product Manuals

Product features change; digital printing makes it easy to edit and print updated product sheets and manuals on an as-needed basis to keep pace with product changes.

Digital Printing for Safety, Training or Employee Manuals

Regulations, rules and procedures can change often as companies grow or provide new products or services. Digital printing provides cost-effective appropriate quantity print runs of manuals that take less storage space and don’t become obsolete. Many digital printers, such as Rhino Digital Printing, handle all bindery needs as well.

Digital Printing for Labels

Labels changes with products. Label designs change to compete better on shelves and improve sales. By allowing shorter, just in time runs digital printing reduces label inventory, but more importantly it makes creative changes easy and cost-effective. It’s perfect for A/B split testing of different label designs.

Digital Printing for Stationery, Business Cards

Flexible, fast digital printing is a remedy for boxes of letterhead and envelopes, and business cards – instead, you can order just enough as you need them. Variable data makes it easy to personalize business cards for each employee as needed.

Digital Printing for Menus, Table Tents, Specials Sheets, Customer Handouts

These can change daily – make quick changes to your digital files, send them to your digital printer with a click, and your daily menus and other restaurant materials are as fresh as your food.

ANY Changeable Printed Materials that You Need Periodically

In short, digital printing is perfect for any materials that you regularly use and which are subject to change.

Need Help Managing Your Recurring Digital Printing Projects? Call Us!

We’re digital printing experts serving the Portland, Oregon area and the U.S. For more information, check out our website at: https://rhinodigital.com. Or better yet, give us a call at: 503-233-2477. We’ll be happy to answer all your questions and help you with tips, information, and programs for updating and printing and binding your recurring materials on an as-needed, cost-effective basis.