I recently attended the 8th annual Dscoop in Nashville, TN. Many of us think this is one of the best events in the printing and graphic arts industry, so I always look forward to Dscoop. The sessions are interesting and relevant, led by a combination of industry experts and successful customers, along with HP and other vendors. The informal discussions and interactions are equally valuable, and contribute to an overall feeling of energy and collaboration. Many of our customers are active in the Dscoop organization, and we enjoy seeing them at the conference and always appreciate their contributions and their ongoing support of Pageflex products.
I first attended Dscoop in 2007, when it had far fewer attendees than the 2000+ people who came to Dscoop 2013. Although many of the overall topics and themes have remained consistent, I was struck by how our expectations and understanding of “web-to-print” have evolved over the past six years.
Back in 2007, print service providers and marketing service providers were mainly interested in offering websites where their customers could view and order documents and other products that would then be produced on a digital or offset press. Specific goals varied – ranging from simple job submission to extensive document customization, to automated print production. But the focus was primarily on giving their customers the ability to easily submit print jobs.
Although Dscoop is a show for digital printers, much of the discussion now revolves around capabilities that have very little to do with print. We hear about marketing automation, about social media integrations, multi-channel campaigns, personalized video, effective use of QR codes, and more. Printers and marketing service providers are looking for highly flexible web portals that will allow them to support all sorts of marketing communications – not just print. They are aware that clearly defined business goals will determine which products they deploy, and that they will often need to combine multiple systems within a comprehensive infrastructure.
Here at Pageflex we’re fortunate that we have products that can meet these rapidly changing requirements, and that have evolved as the industry and our customers have evolved. We’re constantly impressed by what our customers are able to do with our products – and look forward to continuing the journey with them.
