Since time immemorial, printing has been part of our lives. The earliest of men have carved their stories or their events on the walls in the forms of paintings. It was later engraved on the stones also! People’s lifestyle changed, new techniques discovered and with that printing also changed. The modern man has successfully entered into the digital age and the printing industry has also achieved new heights. It is one of the most dynamic industries of the world today.
With a web to print solution, which is in simpler terms an online printer at your fingertips. There are many types of web to print softwares and web to print plugins available in service for the print and graphics industry. Finding web to print software that is suitable for you is essential for getting the most out of the service. The printing process and the requirement of the software solution varies depending on the printing company. Considering this, there are several types of web to print solutions.
One of the ways in which online printers facilitate printing is through direct upload mechanisms such as – email uploads, FTP (file transfer protocols) or web to print drivers. These web to print solutions are very simple to use and they lack the amplitude of those features which are available in a comprehensive ecommerce web to print solution. They are a great option for small or one-off orders.
Email Upload
Using an email upload is exactly as it sounds. Files are uploaded when you transfer them from your computer to the print company through an email provider. An email upload is the most basic version of web to print; where all the files are attached manually. These uploaded files are then sent directly to the print company’s email account. The files are then directed to the print company for processing.
Web to Print Drivers
With this type of web to print solution one needs to download a web to print driver which allows them to send files directly to a web to print company via any application on their computer. They open the file they want to print in its native application (i.e. Photoshop, InDesign, Adobe PDF reader, Word, Excel, etc.) and then select the print driver from your list of printers to send their files to the print company for processing.
FTP (File Transfer Protocol)
File transfer protocol is a type of online printing solution which involves visiting an FTP site to share the printable files with a web to print company. FTP web to print solution would sometimes require a login provided by the print company. This type of web to print solution is also very basic, though it may have some value added features such as the ability to save your order history and reorder prints which totally depends on the print company.
File Sharing Services
File-sharing services, or in other words, cloud services also facilitate file sharing from customers to print companies. The customer has to drop the files they want to get printed into a cloud folder which the print company has access to. The print company, after receiving the authorization to print the file contacts the customer to complete the print order and begins processing. Examples of popular file sending services that can be used for web to print include: GoPrint2, Dropbox, YouSendIt, FileShare, etc.
Design Direct Mailers
Designing direct mailers through a web to print portal is a type of business to business (B2B) printing, but there also may be a business to customer (B2C) system available for accomplishing the same task. Direct mailers saves you time and money, and makes it simple to maintain a consistent brand image, especially if you design direct mailers for a business with multiple locations and franchise owners.
The Modern Printing
Nowadays, The new age eCommerce web to print websites do offer a wide range of printing options and tools. These online stores provide services for both B2B printing and B2C printing. The convenience, flexibility, operational ease of an ecommerce web to print site allows the users with various features like quick upload, create; print designs, get paid in advance through online payment and direct online delivery to the optimal print production location. It has magnified the jurisdiction of the print industry by delimiting the location barrier & aided in penetration with a scope of online marketing. What the different print eCommerce stores differ in is their prizing mechanism. Typically ecommerce web to print sites use a shopping cart system. There are two common ways to determine the price for a print order on a web to print ecommerce platform.
The Estimators
The estimators, rather the prize estimators determine the price of the print products by adding the cost of all the features included in the overall print job. Print suppliers set a price for things such as cardstock, inks, weight, shipping, quantity, prepress, graphic design, and bindery. All these features are factored into the final product cost. Customers select the type of product, and a price is configured on the basis of the features they select for their print job.
Product Catalogues
Product catalogues use pre-designed templates or product types to determine the overall cost of the product. When a catalog item is selected, these web to print systems may have the functionality to select added features and details that may affect the price, such a paper stock, die-cuts, etc. Once a user confirms their order, it is sent directly to the print supplier for processing.
We have come a point where we can understand why the the print industry is one of the most dynamic industries of the world; the various web to print options, various printing methods and ever increasing demands of the customers! In this technology driven industry, change is the only thing which has remained constant.
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