Everyone wants to succeed. Whether you’re an internal print shop or a commercial print business, finding success often means improving internal and external efficiencies without compromising on cost or customer service. That’s where web to print comes in.
Web to print is the solution to your efficiency problems. This software helps you do more with less by allowing for online print ordering that easily integrates with your existing workflows. But that’s only scratching the surface.
Implementing a web to print solution will lead your print business down the path of growth and success. What is web to print, really? Keep reading to learn more.
Current Trends in Printing
To first understand the value of web to print technology, it’s helpful to understand the bigger picture of what’s happening today in the print industry.
Smaller Job Sizes
In the early days, one large print job could provide a sizable revenue. Today, however, digital presses can quickly print highly customized batches that are small in quantity. While this is a plus for the consumer, it also means each individual job is less profitable. So, if a printer wants to earn a large enough profit, they’ll need to be able to handle more jobs with more efficiency.
Higher Cost of Production
Profit margins in the print industry are already thin. As production costs continue to rise, finding efficiencies is essential to keeping your print business running and relevant.
More People Ordering Online
Online shopping has been steadily increasing over the past decade, and experts don’t believe it will be slowing down any time soon. This trend is happening in print, too! Many printers are responding to the online shopping boom by choosing to build a web to print portal so their customers can easily order print and other marketing materials online.
Meeting Today’s Demands
With smaller job sizes, high production costs, and more people turning to digital screens to shop, printers have to work smarter if they want to meet the demands of today’s market.
Internal Workflow
Within your print team, your workflow may look or feel like someone threw cooked spaghetti at the wall and let it stick. There might be complicated processes that don’t neatly flow from one step to the next. But messy processes will mess with your efficiency. So, while it can be funny to think about your workflow as a classic Italian dish, it’s really not funny at all!
As a print business, your workflow is your life. It’s what allows you and your customers to save time. And as you know, time is money, and money matters for your business – no matter if you’re in print for pay or providing services as an internal print shop.
The Customer
Time matters to the clients you serve, too. The teams that you serve are being asked to do more with fewer resources. Your goal should be to make their work as efficient as possible. But how can you do this? By making it easier for them to order from you!
A customer doesn’t want to take time out of their day with small interactions confirming design, materials, and products. Instead, they want something fast, easy, and efficient that allows them to order once and get exactly what they asked for.
By organizing your internal workflow, you’ll help your customers order print more quickly so they can get on with their day. This added benefit should make it easy to sell your existing customers on web to print – and attract new ones!
The Solution: Web to Print
Integrating web to print software into your print workflow is the key to achieving efficiency for both your team and your clients. Not only will it ease the administrative burden for your employees, but it will also give your customers a faster way to order, pay for, and track their jobs – all from any digital screen.
What Is Web to Print?
Web to print is a Service as a Software (SaaS) eCommerce functionality that allows people to easily order printed materials via online storefronts. As a print business, web to print provides every possible advantage for your success.
One of the most common misconceptions about web to print is the idea that it removes the relationship aspect of running a print business. But the truth couldn’t be more different.
In reality, web to print allows you to improve relationships with current customers and attract new ones. With advanced web to print software, you can even have hundreds of clients and still ensure each one has a unique ordering experience every single time.
Why Web to Print Matters for Your Success
Going digital is unavoidable for modern businesses. Today, everyone is ordering online. Businesses that can’t hop on this trend risk losing customers. From our experience, printers who add online services and make it easier for their customers to order see substantial growth and success.
At PageDNA, our web to print platform has helped hundreds of internal print shops and commercial print companies meet their goals and give their customers a better ordering experience.
Improved Efficiency
By harnessing the power of print workflow automation and streamlining your ordering process, web to print improves efficiency both internally and externally. Your team will be able to do more, and customers save time by ordering, paying for, and tracking their orders online. It’s a win-win!
Fewer Mistakes
Web to print allows customers to completely customize their orders, see available products and materials, and proof designs online. By allowing customers to easily order online, you remove multiple human touchpoints from your ordering process. This gets rid of any wasteful, manual, error-prone steps, meaning your customers will be happier more often.
Better Client Relationships
Contrary to what you may think, web to print software actually enhances client relationships. Your clients will enjoy easier ordering and the added benefits that eCommerce software brings. They’ll be able to upload artwork templates for personalized products, manage their custom design requests, enjoy ordering from a unique catalog specific to their business, and assign approvers for jobs. The possibilities are limitless!
Attract Bigger Customers
PageDNA’s web to print platform has the capability to integrate into large enterprise procurement systems by performing a cXML PunchOut. By being able to provide this service, you’ll attract larger customers looking for vendors that can easily integrate with their enterprise catalog.
Integrate with Existing Technologies
Web to print application programming interfaces (APIs) allow your print business to integrate your online ordering platform with existing eCommerce websites and software systems. This provides flexibility as you design and implement your web to print solution. It also means you can use APIs to integrate web to print with software that tracks shipments, processes orders, provides pricing estimates, and more.
How to Choose a Web to Print Platform
Choosing a web to print platform shouldn’t be just another item on your checklist. Investing in web to print is a big decision, and you’ll want to be sure you choose the right partner.
We know from 25 years of experience that an effective web to print solution is more than just software – it’s a process and a team that will support you at each step. Without a guide and documented process, your investment won’t pay off as quickly, if at all. That’s why it’s important to find a web to print provider that:
- Offers the features and benefits you’re looking for
- Provides step-by-step guidance for implementation, launch and driving usage
- Supports your business as its needs evolve
- Stays up-to-date on the latest web to print trends
Implement Web to Print with PageDNA
Our team at PageDNA has over 300 years of collective print and eCommerce experience. As the longest-running independently owned web to print platform, we pride ourselves on our people, our processes, and our customer service.
Implementing web to print with PageDNA is easy. We guide you through each step of our proven eight-week implementation process. We’ll provide support as you set goals, build your online storefront, and learn more about how web to print works.
While we are guiding you through this process, we also train you and your team on how to become self-reliant. That way, you can take these tools into your own hands and continue building out your online ordering platform.
Our Unique Approach
In 2021, PageDNA’s implementation process averaged 81 days from kickoff to launch, a timeframe rarely matched in our industry. Customers with more availability go even faster – some have even launched small projects in just under one week!
Through this process, PageDNA does the work. We only need your team for 30 minutes a week for a meeting, plus another hour to gather information and test the storefront before launch.
If you’re ready to dive into web to print, we’re ready to help. Reach out to sales@PageDNA.com to learn more and schedule your demo today!
