Integration, Beyond PURLs —Sherburne

IN AUGUST we talked about using personalized URLs (PURLs) to promote your own business and as a service for your customers as an aspect of integrated marketing—integrating print with the Web, in this case.
I recently came across a white paper authored by Jacob Aizikowitz, currently president of XMPie, a Xerox company, entitled “Can Print Personalization Be Highly Creative and Efficient? Expanding Beyond the Form Metaphor.” While this is a vendor white paper, it is written in a very neutral manner and discusses an important topic well worth reading. It can be downloaded from the XMPie Website (www.xmpie.com).

The paper takes the concept of integrated marketing well beyond PURLs and identifies some key considerations for anyone thinking about adding variable data printing (VDP) to the mix or updating VDP software infrastructure.

Solid Pedigree

For those of you who may not know Aizikowitz, he is in a unique position to write about this topic. In a recent interview, he said, “I was fortunate to be in the eye of the storm. I moved from IBM to Scitex in the spring of 1996. At the time, development work was proceeding on controllers to support a future technology, which ultimately became Kodak Versamark. We were also working with Xerox on a controller to serve what would later become the Xerox iGen.

“So we were exposed, through controller and software development projects, to the early stages of these two ground-breaking press projects.”

With his background at IBM and Cornell, Aizikowitz understood the value of object-based languages and introduced the concept at Scitex. The result was the first object-oriented variable data language, VPS, which was used by Scitex Darwin and the Scitex controller.

Why is this important? When Benny Landa made his big splash at Drupa 1995 with Indigo, and the potential for color digital imaging engines to deliver high-value
color, variable data printing became big news, there was not a single object-oriented language available. Early variable data work was all forms-based. That meant that a form, consisting of the static information that would appear on each sheet, was RIP’d and stored at the controller.

The form designated areas where variable data should appear, and a variable data stream was then merged with the form. While the form itself did not need to be reprocessed at the RIP, all of the variable data had to be processed for each page. If the data was simply text, the controller could usually keep up with processing speeds.

Once images were introduced—which is the true power of variable printing—processing speeds could be painfully slow and, in fact, some controllers were not able to manage the load.

Today, we have both forms-based and object-based solutions in the market. The key difference is that with object-based solutions, the first time an object is received by the controller, it is not only processed, but also cached for later use. The second time that object is required, it is already processed and ready for immediate incorporation into the variable page.

This gives the designer more flexibility in terms of images, styles and document structure than would be available with forms-based VDP—more creativity without much compromise in speed.

“This white paper is not purely about XMPie,” Aizikowitz contends. “It is about DFEs and modern variable data printing technology. I believe it is important for the market to understand the difference between the two in terms of creative power.

“There is a market perception that the more creative a variable data application is, the more slowly it processes, and this is simply not true with today’s technologies.”

He points out that Adobe’s PDF print engine and the standards work that is ongoing to make PDF/VT an ISO standard has been a very significant enabler in making object-oriented VDP more feasible and an accepted standard means of operating.

“I wrote the white paper,” Aizikowitz adds, “to educate the market on the differences and banish some misconceptions that might be slowing down adoption of variable data applications. Variable data printing should allow users to be as creative as desktop publishing allows them to be.

“There really should be no limitation, nor should there be a trade-off between creativity and speed. While there are always extreme cases, there should generally be no trade-off required.”

He is quick to point out that, for certain applications, an “assembly line” approach to processing will likely always be required. For example, creating millions of transpromo statements per month requires a fairly structured and rigid workflow, and will likely continue to do so. These solutions are generally either forms-based or use rigid transaction-turned VDP formats and workflows specifically designed for that purpose.

The real promise of variable data printing for marketing applications, Aizikowitz asserts, is that every feature of a document can change from document to document and page to page, based on rules. This type of flexibility is nearly impossible to implement with a forms-based metaphor.

Personally Speaking

Another advantage of object-based solutions is discussed in the white paper. “…creating an object-based metaphor for variable data printing removed the barriers between the VDP and the dynamic (i.e., variable) e-media disciplines, for which object-based technologies were the norm from Day One.

“The removal of this barrier opened the door for a holistic view of personalization, where outbound and interactive communications—print and e-media—can all be managed within a single framework.”

This last point is especially important as print service providers are being called on to do more than print, and cross-media services are becoming almost a prerequisite for the future. If you are in the market for variable data software, this white paper is well worth a review.

It provides the knowledge base and questions to ask potential VDP vendors to ensure that what you purchase will serve you today, as well as into the future. Today’s market consists of a blend of forms-based and object-based vendors.

Make sure you understand the difference and select one that meets current and future needs for you and your customers. PI

—Cary Sherburne

About the Author
Cary Sherburne is a well-known author, journalist and marketing consultant whose practice is focused on marketing communications strategies for the printing and publishing industries. She was recognized as a 2009 Woman of Distinction and was awarded the 2009 Thomas McMillan Award for excellence in journalism. Sherburne has written six books, including “Digital Paths to Profit,” published by NAPL; and most recently, “No-Nonsense Innovation: Practical Strategies for Success,” written with Bill Lowe, the Father of the IBM PC and available on Amazon. She can be reached at Cary@SherburneAssociates.com.