Web2Print: Empowering Organizations to Accomplish More, with Less

Contributor: Doug Stemet, Manager, Technology Sales Support, TSSG^TM

Web2Print can be the answer for companies grappling with an environment that demands higher productivity, to be accomplished with fewer resources. As a result, marketers in organizations across diverse market segments are stretching their staffs and budgets to meet their business goals. Web2Print provides tools that can help Marketing departments and just about every part of a company.

For Marketing, Web2Print provides relief for recurring production needs. By creating templates for collateral and sales materials and putting them in a Web2Print solution, Marketing departments can “design once” and allow approved field staff to customize content while maintaining corporate branding standards. This frees marketers up to spend more time on strategy, messaging and pure creative, rather than recreating multitudes of pieces on-demand.

Procurement saves two-fold. The biggest savings comes from reduced obsolescence. By utilizing Web2Print, only the quantity required is actually produced. Tracking and reporting tools also enable procurement managers to analyze usage and plan the right quantities for large runs, and determine which pieces should be printed on-demand. Whether driven by time-sensitive content or overall usage trends, obsolescence is minimized with Web2Print.

Legal and Compliance departments have been hugely impacted by a changing and increasingly complex regulatory environment. Having the right documents available for field staff, containing the most up-to-date information, is critical in almost every industry. Web2Print allows for only the most current and approved material to be available in the field and printed on-demand, eliminating the risk of stockpiled, obsolete materials.

And, finally, Sales may benefit more than any other department from Web2Print. It’s pretty well established that the more relevant the content, the more effective the sale. Web2Print, with rich content customization tools, allows for field staff to make each collateral piece relevant to their immediate and specific need. Whether for a brochure for a particular client or market, or a personalized data-driven mailer, Web2Print enables content customization to increase sales effectiveness.

The impact of Web2Print is real. Used effectively, it can touch and benefit every department in an organization.

Doug Stemet
Manager, Technology
Sales Support, TSSG

Consolidated Graphics, Inc. offers a Web2Print solution named Streamline. For more information about Streamline, go to http://www.cgx.com/Our-Services/WorkSmart-Suite/Streamline-77.html. Contact Doug Stemet at dstemet@tssg-cgx.com.

Making an Impact in Nothing Flat: The Kodak Prosper 5000XL

Contributor: Katie Kriemelmeyer, President, AGS

One of the investments Consolidated Graphics made this past year was the purchase of a Kodak Prosper 5000XL digital inkjet web press, which was installed at AGS’ print facility in Maryland.  Among many benefits, this cutting edge digital printing technology delivers high-quality color and runs at speeds in excess of 650 feet per minute.


Kodak Prosper 5000XL

What does this mean?

With the Prosper, we finally have a way to achieve 4 color digital printing more cost-effectively for runs of up to several thousand impressions (think 25,000 to 1,000,000,000). We have customers printing books in color that they used to do in black and white – only now, with the Prosper, we’re making a better product while keeping the unit rates affordable.

Why should you care?

This speed really matters if you are trying to get millions of pages produced in an extremely short time frame (less than a day).  The best part?  The Prosper 5000XL can even do this in variable color. To date we’ve had enormous success with taking data to pages on matte and dull coated stocks, and getting it out the door (gloss coming soon).

So, what’s the big deal?

The Prosper gives us the ability to do true 1:1 digital printing at near offset rates for products such as booklets and catalogs customized for the recipient. We are also doing this for healthcare benefit confirmation statements, coupon mailers, association member mailings and invoices. Most of the time, the pieces go out the door within 24 hours of receiving the data.

Watch a video of how it all works now!




Katie Kriemelmeyer
President, AGS

AGS is a Consolidated Graphics, Inc. company in White Plains, MD. For more about AGS, visit www.ags.com. Contact Katie Kriemelmeyer at katiek@ags.com.

Bright Lights Ahead: Consolidated Graphics Talks Strategy

Hundreds of board members, bankers, executives, lawyers, recruiters, and investors recently gathered in San Antonio to celebrate another year under the purposeful direction of Consolidated Graphics CEO and Chairman, Joe Davis. Davis, along with Executive Vice President, Chief Financial and Accounting Officer and Secretary Jon Biro and Executive Vice President, Sales and Marketing Aaron Grohs, shared the successes and obstacles of the previous 12 months, along with his direction and vision for the upcoming years. In typical CGX fashion, there is no shortage of innovation and development. Here is what got us most excited:

+ It’s getting harder to fill our shoes: It’s no secret that we have an industry-leading geographic footprint, but that isn’t stopping us from continuing to roll up distressed companies, look for industry gems that are ready for a buyout, or take on a larger international presence [click here to read our international expansion Q&A]. It’s a strategy that CGX has proven to be successful, and we continue to incorporate more economies of scale and lower the cost for our customers as a result.

+ Trust us with your most important asset: Data security is a hot topic these days, and we’re leading the pack in terms of regulatory compliance, process improvements, and protection of our clients’ information. We’ve gone through audits, testing, and rigorous studies executed by some of the brightest minds in data security, and so far, we’ve aced with flying colors.  We even invested over $8 million on a state-of-the-art data center. All of this means that you can rest assured that information is safe with us.

+ We’re committed to making information access easier: Our WorkSmart Suite^TM has been a widely adopted by organizations around the world, and we’re committed to make it even better. In the year since we launched our popular Streamline Web2Print application, we have increased the number of customer sites by 24%, to more than 500! Our focus is to continue bringing enhanced functionality and user benefits to Streamline and all of the applications that comprise WorkSmart Suite.

+ Emerge^TM is going online: Our annual emerge conference has been referred to as the best in the industry by so many that we’re going to get it into the hands of everyone. This year, we’re working on an online portal that will provide year-round access to this thought leadership forum.

To download Consolidated Graphics’ annual report, please click here.

Consolidated Graphics expands international presence

Shiro Fujimoto, Vice President
of International Business Development,
Consolidated Graphics

Our international team at Consolidated Graphics, Inc. is logging some serious frequent flyer miles these days as they develop and implement international printing solutions for North America-based clients. We recently caught up with Shiro Fujimoto, the Vice President of International Business Development at Consolidated Graphics and our in-house expert on global print trends, who shared some insights into our international strategy and what you can expect from us around the world:

Q: Shiro, can you explain why Consolidated Graphics is taking an interest in international locations? 

A: Many people are surprised to realize that U.S.-based corporations often perform 50 percent or more of their business overseas. While Consolidated Graphics’ focus has primarily been on U.S. businesses, more and more we’re seeing a need to service our existing client base abroad. We want to ensure that we can support all of their needs, and that means providing them with the same quality, consistency and effective service that they receive within the United States.

Q: How do you select locations for international expansion? 

A: As with any investment we make, we’re listening closely to our clients and identifying locations that are most beneficial to them. At the same time, we’re trying to select strategic areas that allow us to reduce shipping costs, access key markets, and develop international clientele.

Q: What things do customers need to consider when printing abroad? 

A: Each country has unique nuances that should be considered, from a marketing and messaging standpoint as well as technical specifications such as paper stocks and sizes. For example, the U.S. is one of three countries (Myanmar and Liberia being the other two) that don’t utilize the metric system, which means standard paper sizes are different -- and attempting to print pieces identical to those in the U.S. could prove much more costly abroad. Translations also impact designs; for example, Spanish is often 20 percent longer than English, while Chinese is much shorter. The goal is always to build a consistent brand across the globe, but flexibility needs to be a part of any global campaign.

Q: How is technology supporting global marketing and print campaigns? 

A: Technology allows companies to centralize their infrastructure, creating consistent materials across countries. Things like style guides, imagery, and templates can be centralized and accessed from anywhere in the world. A good illustration is Consolidated Graphics’ Streamline Web2Print solution, which gives users from around the world access to order materials to be produced and distributed in the region they are to be delivered in. Even with respect to communications, technology is enabling decentralized teams to create, collaborate and improve overall effectiveness from numerous locations. 

Q: How does Consolidated Graphics ensure that customers receive consistent quality in different countries? 

A: We have invested in and partnered with the very best print facilities around the world. We have also developed our own proprietary color technology, integrated with our G7 Digital Master Certification, which ensures that, within an extremely miniscule margin of error (invisible to the human eye in most cases), colors achieve identical results across geographies, and even amongst varying printing devices. We also support our clients throughout the process via our International Print Management Offices (IPMOs), which enable translating services, scheduling, fulfillment, and more.

Q: Does Consolidated Graphics have a presence in every region? 

A: We have access to nearly every area of the globe, either through direct investment or strategic partnerships. For example, we have our own facilities in Europe and Japan, strategic partners in China, Vietnam, Malaysia, India, and Brazil, and vendor relationships in Australia, Mexico, and China. Our ultimate goal is to provide strategic access to every major market on the planet.

Q: What is next in terms of international growth at Consolidated Graphics? 

A: We’re being smart about where we invest our dollars and how we grow this segment of the business. We see significant opportunity in various regions, but also want to maintain our focus on serving our U.S.-based clientele. We’re looking closely at the Middle East and expanding our existing relationships. Ultimately, it boils down to what our customers want, and how we can best serve them.

For more information about international printing solutions from Consolidated Graphics, visit http://www.international.cgx.com.

Publish, powered by Blurb: Bound Printing from the Comfort of your Desktop

Collateral created using Publish

Competition is fierce these days, and marketing presentations, brochures, portfolios and manuals must far exceed expectations in order to fully capture the attention of your audience. Consolidated Graphics has partnered with Blurb to bring you the perfect solution: Publish, powered by Blurb. This on-demand publishing platform provides a free Adobe® InDesign® plug-in, enabling you to use your preferred design tool to create professionally-bound print collateral in quantities as few as one or as many as you need.

Here’s a Q&A with James Hill, president of Nies/Artcraft, a Consolidated Graphics company in St. Louis, who worked with Blurb to develop Publish.

CGX: What is Publish?
Hill: At its core, Publish is an on-demand, online platform that enables companies to print customized, bound print materials in low quantities, with a high quality output. Through Publish, our customers can design the materials they need, interact with Blurb’s online interface, and tap into Consolidated Graphics’ production and fulfillment platform to generate professionally bound print products, all from the comfort of their desks.

CGX: How did Publish come about?
Hill: Publish was actually a result of emerge™ 2011. (Note to readers: emerge is Consolidated Graphics’ annual marketing and printing solutions conference.) When Eileen Gittens (CEO of Blurb) spoke about Blurb during her keynote, we had so many customers asking how they could utilize this technology for their business needs. We listened to their requests and partnered up with Blurb to provide them with on-demand publishing needs.

CGX: How do you see this technology being used?
Hill: The possibilities really are endless, and it will be up to our customers to determine the true potential of this platform. We anticipate it being used for things like high-end catalogs, product manuals, important presentations, informational leave-behinds, and more. But what makes Publish so powerful is the flexibility that it places in the hands of our customers.

CGX: What design flexibility does Publish provide?
Hill: Publish delivers the functionality of Blurb within the creative framework of InDesign, offering a tremendous amount of flexibility and support for designers. The bound books are available in eight sizes, five paper substrates, and four bindery/cover choices. Publish even offers a variety of print-ready templates for all formats and page counts, as well as easy pre-flight and file transfer for proofing. That’s backed by Blurb customer service. We plan to listen to our customers to gradually introduce even more capabilities over time.

To see Publish in action – and to download the free plug-in, visit www.cgx.com/publish today! For more information, contact the Publish team at publish@nies.com.

Consolidated Graphics CFO Jon Biro “Best CFO 2012” Finalist

The Houston Business Journal has recognized our Executive Vice President and CFO Jon Biro as a finalist for 2012 best “Mid-Cap Public Company” CFO.

Several key projects contributed to his nomination including new staff, new software, and a new $8.5 million data center. During his tenure, Biro has established programs and committees to train future leaders and monitor Consolidated Graphics’ key risks. He was also able to establish an amended and restated $310 million credit facility on favorable terms in 2011.

Narrowed down from 60 nominees, the 21 chosen finalists were selected for recognition based on:

• implemented strategic plans,
• achieved or sustained profitable growth,
• identified and managed risks,
• displayed visionary leadership, and, in some cases
• turned around ailing businesses.

Winners will be announced May 25 at the George R Brown Convention Center in Houston.

Learn more about the Best CFOs of the Year.

Emerge Travels to The Big Easy

With nearly 1,000 print executives, manufacturers, suppliers and customers in attendance, Consolidated Graphics’ third annual emerge^TM conference was a smashing success. From April 17^th through 20^th, we set up shop in New Orleans, where we transformed the Hyatt Regency into a creative display of large format print, business exhibits and demonstrations of cutting edge print technology.

From personalized invitations to the Kyp webkey guests were given upon check-in, emerge showcased all that Consolidated Graphics and the printing industry is capable of providing to customers. As in years past, the focus of emerge was on pooling the minds of everyone we know who is committed to elevating the print industry and coming up with new and innovative solutions, and continuing to raise the bar of what ink on paper can accomplish.

In addition, emerge 2012 unveiled new groundbreaking developments, including Consolidated Graphics’ partnership with Blurb to create Publish, a commercial book publishing platform that is powered by Blurb and utilizes Consolidated Graphics’ workflow solutions to print as few as one bound unit of collateral or up to as many as our customers’ needs require. We also announced our joint venture with YAMAGATA Corporation in a move to expand our international operations with a dedicated facility in Gero, Japan.

We were delighted to announce our second year of Encore^TM Awards winners, and, as many of the conference attendees will attest, the quality of submitted entries to the competition was significantly higher this year with anticipation already growing to see what our customers will submit for consideration ins 2013. A special congratulations to 2012 Peoples’ Encore Award winner IKON Public Affairs/Can of Creative!

The breakout sessions and keynotes were packed with information (many guests commented that it was the best content yet), and we’ll be posting presentation and taped sessions on cgx.com soon, so you can pass along and share emerge 2012 with your colleagues.

Of course, no emerge conference is complete without a fabulous party to say thanks to everyone for a great few days of spirited discussion about the possibilities of print in today’s marketing environment. This year, we loaded up our guests on 18 authentic Mardi Gras floats, enlisted three local bands, and paraded through the streets of downtown New Orleans, ending the evening at the House of Blues, where we enjoyed a brass band, jazz room, contemporary music and more.

Stay tuned for updates on next year’s event, scheduled April 30^th through May 2^nd at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas!