WEB-TO-PRINT Characteristics – – – – –
Online job submission Online payment Online status tracking Photo book creation Hosted
APPLICATIONS WEB-TO-PRINT
Colour Management
Web-to-Print
Variable Data Printing
Print Automation
Make-Ready
Document Capture & Management
Security
Connectivity
User & Cost Management
Output Management
Device Management
Cloud & Mobile Printing
FOCUS ON 24/7 ONLINE JOB SUBMISSION As a print provider, you constantly strive for differentiation from your competitors. At the same time, the present economic climate forces you to reduce your overheads and improve your efficiencies. This means using all your equipment to capacity in order to avoid your devices or your employees standing idle.
– You want to diversify and extend your range of print products, while your customers expect innovative and creative solutions that let them design their prints individually and submit their jobs online. – You need to offer your customers round-the-clock availability of your services. At the same time, you want to centralise the handling of incoming print jobs and streamline your job processing workflows. – You have to avoid low production volumes on all of your devices as well as low revenue per employee. To remain competitive, your goal must be to make full use of your complete equipment at all times.
With Web-to-Print applications, you enhance your services and their availability by offering your customers the efficient ordering of print products via the internet. Customers can comfortably order prints on their PC at home and pay for them online, 24 hours per day and 7 days per week. After ordering, a job tracking functionality keeps them informed of their job status until their prints are delivered or they collect them. Using a Web-to-Print solution is not only convenient for your customers. As a print provider, you also benefit from the centralised submission of print jobs and, thanks to Konica Minolta’s hosting support, do not need to worry about setting up a professional server environment. Opting for a photo book application, you can also offer your customers the creativity they desire.
APPLICATIONS WEB-TO-PRINT
TYPICAL CAPABILITIES AND WHAT THEY MEAN FOR YOU Online job submission If customers submit print files via CD, e-mail, fax, FTP or courier, these multiple job entry points can lead to late or lost jobs. Digital files often make production more difficult for print providers due to inconsistent file types, file reformatting or not meeting buyer intent. Consequently, print providers need a unified submission system that is easy to use and available to their customers anywhere and anytime. Ideally, job submission is centralised and all jobs are collected by one software backend. Using a Web-to-Print solution enables print providers to send digital orders into production more easily. Production takes less time and is completed without errors. Incoming files automatically go through pre-flighting and arrive in a harmonised PDF format. The online preview ensures fewer misprints. End customers benefit from easy-to-use interfaces that can even be designed in their corporate design layout. Confusion is avoided with just a single system for the complete order process.
Photo book creation Photo book applications enable print providers to offer end customers easy yet extensive online layout possibilities to turn their photos of holidays, events and other occasions into albums or calendars. Similar to other Web-to-Print applications, photo book software includes the online submission, payment and tracking to the eventual delivery or collection of the print job. With a photo book application, print providers can give their customers the creativity they desire. Printing companies benefit from this easy way to diversify their offerings with attractive new print products.
Online payment Customers shopping in the internet also expect secure online payment options. Professional Web-to-Print solutions offer secured connections to various multi-payment providers. With secure internet payment options, customers are usually transferred directly to the website of the respective payment provider, such as Visa, MasterCard, PayPal, etc., via an SSL-encrypted connection. End customers benefit from the safety, speed and reliability of such payment systems, while print providers enjoy the advantage of instant advance payment before they even start production of the online order.
Online status tracking After ordering their prints online, customers need to know that their job has been received and will be completed within their required deadline. Professional Web-to-Print applications include online status tracking functionalities, which the customer can access via the dashboard of the software or via e-mail for up-to-date information at all stages of the production and delivery process. With online status tracking, end customers are always up to date on the availability of their prints. Print providers benefit from comprehensive monitoring and tracking of print jobs in one single solution. They gain time because their customers no longer block telephone lines with enquiries about their job status.
Hosted Print providers require Web-to-Print solutions that correspond to their particular infrastructure, IT knowledge and staff capabilities. Many small printing companies would not be able to cope with the independent hosting and maintenance of a Web-to-Print solution and depend on a professional partner for that side of their Web-to-Print service. Whatever the capabilities of a print provider in terms of IT infrastructure and IT staff, Konica Minolta offers a suitable Web-to-Print solution – hosted or set up on their own server. This way, printing companies can ensure robust server processing independent of anticipated order volumes and internet traffic.
Professional Web-to-Print applications not only support you in retaining your existing customers but also help you gain new business. With attractive features such as online job submission and payment, online status tracking as well as individual photo book creation, you will diversify your product range, offer new services and ensure their availability to customers around the clock. Thanks to Konica Minolta’s hosting support, you do not need to worry about providing a professional server environment or taking on specialised IT personnel.
APPLICATIONS WEB-TO-PRINT
WORKFLOW 1
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PRINT ROOM
AT HOME
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PROFESSOR’S OFFICE
UNIVERSITY
KONICA MINOLTA HOSTING ENVIRONMENT
Some examples for typical workflow scenarios
Catalogue function
1 A company employee wants to print the documents for next afternoon’s meeting from home because he will be too busy to prepare the material the next morning. He starts his tablet, uploads his print files via the browser to the company’s in-house print shop and requests express delivery in time for his meeting.
1 After his lecture, a professor (user plus) wants to provide the lecture materials to his students (users) and uploads this information into the catalogue of the college web shop.
Online status tracking
Online payment
1 A print provider can give his customers status information on their orders.
2 With one click, the customer sees his status updates via the web shop dashboard.
1 Connectors to multi-payment providers allow print providers to offer their customers modern and safe payment options.
2 The students can now access the web shop via their tablet PCs and order the material in the required format (size and binding type) and quantity.
2 For direct online payment, customers simply enter their credit card details, or the user account and password of the appropriate payment method during the ordering process.
Hosting
Photo book creation
1 Print providers without the necessary IT knowledge or specialist staff can easily offer their customers a Web-to-Print service by using Konica Minolta. We provide the server environment and take care of the required hosting.
1 A newly wedded couple creates a photo book of their wedding. After its completion, they order one printed photo book for themselves and provide the family and wedding guests with a link via Facebook. Here, the photo book can be viewed online and prints ordered by those interested.
Konica Minolta Business Solutions Europe GmbH Europaallee 17 30855 Langenhagen Germany www.konicaminolta.eu
03/2013
Online job submission