By Bernd Zipper

Precise. Highly individual. Flexible. Intelligent. A listing of the advantages of Web-to-print sooner or later always returns to these four terms. But what exactly is “Web-to-print”? In a nutshell, Web-to-print is the dynamic generation of print templates using an online service that also accommodates relevant business processes. To explain it a bit better: The client generates a print template live via an Internet browser using an Internet server, which can be located at the agency, at the printing company, or at the media service provider. Business processes (in other words, the creation of invoices, delivery slips, and other elements) are automatically initiated in the background. For the client, creating a print template is easy. All that is required is a computer and an Internet browser. Prior knowledge of prepress issues is required only in rare cases. The system usually directs clients, or clients can select designs from a series of templates. After selecting a template, the client then fills it with text – and with images and logos if the system supports these features. Basically, this process is no different from filling out a form on the Internet, and hundreds, if not thousands, of applications have already proven themselves in the market.

What might look easy and simple to a user in fact requires an intelligent server structure running in the background. For example, it must be ensured that the data generated by the user can be processed in terms of technical printing. This area is where server technologies such as QuarkXPress® Server come into play. The company Infowerk AG in Nuremberg, Germany, utilizes Quark® technology to equip its own online print shop at www.printeria.de with the required technology. Printeria customers can use a free piece of software – called “digital printlab” by Infowerk – to generate products such as photo albums online or on their own computers. In this example, Quark technology works behind the scenes: QuarkXPress Server recognizes both the free templates and subsequent print data.

For the client, a Web-to-print system will probably be a matter of getting used to it or of jumping right in if it feels self-evident and natural, depending on the client’s generation. The benefits for the client are obvious: Based on well-defined design principles, field personnel or branch offices can now work using Internet servers in marketing structures that previously autonomously “scrambled together” print templates, without any consideration for corporate design (CD). A Web-to-print system can specify language, colors, fonts, and other design factors, and therefore permit end users to change only those areas they are authorized to change. In the case of a business card, this area might include the address information; for a commercial piece that markets food, this area might include the prices, which can be adapted to local markets. The unlimited availability of the Web-to-print system is an added benefit for clients because they can access the system 24 hours a day and work on their templates when time permits. Some systems even allow for the tracking (production tracing) of jobs and offer a comprehensive client workflow system. Today, many companies view Web-to-print as a key tool for controlling and organizing their business processes, and many organizations prefer to use the skills of an external service provider that assists them in this respect.

The “evolutionary step” provided by Web-to-print is commonly referred to as a “Marketing Cockpit” or brand-management tool. The German company pi-consult has integrated QuarkXPress Server and offers BrandMaker™, a tool that can aid companies in handling their workflows, assets, and processes. BrandMaker is used by companies such as Commerzbank and DekaBank. In addition to brand management, the tool facilitates coordination between marketing staff and the agency during the creation process of print media and media templates. The creation of templates is carried out through directly managed assets, such as QuarkXPress files, and QuarkXPress Server takes over the rendering function in the background. The experience for the user is similar to that of using desktop-like applications: To make corrections and comments, the user browses the provided documentation and inserts the relevant comments. When the correction or coordination processes are complete, BrandMaker aids in the transit of the document (including comments) back to the author, who can then make changes in the Web-to-print module. This type of “back office” organization simplifies and – just as important – documents many operational processes, especially in large companies.

Web-to-print and similar Internet applications based on intelligent online structures are the future of publishing. Whether it is used by marketing departments, printers, creative individuals, or the average person in the street, Web-to-print opens up markets that extend beyond borders and generations. It is time to think about the many benefits Web-to-print can offer your own business.