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sky’s THE the limit –
VARIABLE DATA PRINTING HOLDS UNLIMITED
POTENTIAL FOR
UNLIMITED VARIATION
IMAGINE THIS. Your company wants to use direct
Imagine this.
mail to tell your clients about a new product. Your marketing
and promotion team is assigned to design a mailing
piece, but when you visit their department, a few
hours later, they are in turmoil. One person sees the
potential of your product for young women; another
believes it is ideal for middle-aged businessmen. Obviously,
one brochure is not going to meet both those needs.
Until now. You sit down and explain that there is new
printing technology to solve this exact problem. One that will
boost response rates on direct mail to previously unimaginable
levels. You tell your team that a brochure can be designed
and printed with dozens of variable fields – and each field can
be designed to be exactly right for the client in question.
A 22-year-old woman will receive a personalized mailer,
addressed to her by name, outlining the product application just
right for her life. A 50-year-old businessman will learn of the
same product in a piece sent to him, by name, with the appropriate
applications for him.
Welcome to the era of variable data printing.
MANY APPLICATIONS
THE PRECEDING EXAMPLE is only one of an almost infinite number of
applications that are possible with the development of variable data
printing. This digital technology is a truly exciting development in
the printing industry – and if you doubt the impact and level of
enthusiasm, you should talk to the people at any one of the four
printing companies in Kitchener, Waterloo and Guelph who are
now offering the magic of variable data printing to their clients.
Damian McDonald, of Ampersand Printing in Guelph, says the
common reaction from clients is, “Wow!... People are excited
about the applications and the possibilities.”
Michael Litwiller, of Waterloo Printing in Waterloo, says “our
customers are extremely happy with the results. They are
whatever
COLOUR
you want it to be
BY PAUL KNOWLES
delighted with
what we can do.”
Peter Cober, of Cober Printing in Kitchener,
reports that variable digital printing “blows them
away. Until they see the product, they have no
idea of the potential.”
Erwin Driever, director of operations at Allprint
Ainsworth Associates in Kitchener, says that the
average response rate to a direct mail marketing program is 2-
3%; “with variable data pieces, we are hearing of 23% to 27%.”
VARIABLE DATA TECHNOLOGY
VARIABLE DATA PRINTING is not brand-new. The technology has been
showing up at printing trade shows for about seven years. But in
the past year, commercial printers – including Allprint Ainsworth,
Cober Printing, Waterloo Printing, and Ampersand – have come to
the conclusion that it is now perfected, ready for their print shop
floors, and all have made the investment to offer this dynamic
new service, with its multitude of applications, to their clients.
It is important to note that a similar application has been available
using toner-based, photocopier technology, but the printing
experts insist there is no comparison to the quality of the new,
26 l exchangemagazine.com l JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2006

offset, ink-based digital press. Michael
Litwiller makes the point: “This is certainly
more than a colour photocopier.” A lot
more, in fact.
All four printing companies featured in
this article are using HP technology for
their variable data printing applications.
And while personalized marketing pieces
are certainly one of the most exciting
uses of the printer, this is by no means
the only important application. In fact,
informational material from HP suggests
no fewer than 37 separate applications
of the HP Indigo or HP 5000, ranging
through brochures, books and business
cards to fine arts printing, outdoor signages
and statements.
Local print experts can talk enthusiastically
for hours about the benefits of the
new technology. Klaus Ertle, President of
Allprint Ainsworth, notes that the new
equipment facilitates applications ranging
from a basic four-colour brochure
through web-to-print, to full-scale variable
data printing, “as small and tidy as you
want or as large and challenging as you
want it to be.”
Peter Cober, owner of Cober Printing,
points out that “short run colour is more
affordable” on the unit, suggesting an
example where a client wanted
the same piece
in English
and French versions,
with a shorter
run in French. He
referred to another
job where a customer
wanted 17 different
covers on the
same piece – you can
do that more economically
on a digital press.”
Damian McDonald of
Ampersand is excited about the full potential
of digital printing. “This technology
allows us to go further.” It permits completely
Unlimited Unlimited applications
applications
to to variable variable data data printing printing
THE POTENTIAL FOR VARIABLE DATA PRINTING is practically unlimited. This relatively
new technology – in existence for about seven years, but available from four
area printing companies only in the last 12 months or less – offers high quality
digital printing with the enormous potential of variable data.
All four local companies – Ampersand in Guelph, Waterloo Printing in
Waterloo, Cober Printing in Kitchener and Allprint-Ainsworth in Kitchener – are
using HP digital printers. Most have added equipment for bindery work and
other post-press work, as well.
The new technology is a big step up from the only previous option – tonerbased
photocopier work of significantly lower quality than digital printing.
Area printing professionals point to an array of applications for the new
presses, including short run printing (as “short” as two booklets, in at least
one case); print-on-demand (which is reducing the need for warehousing and
eliminating wasted inventory), web-to-print applications, and the full potential
of “versioning” and variable data printing which allows every piece of a run to
be changed and individualized.
HP suggests a wide range of applications for the new print technology, including:
• Brochures – which can be tailored to
individual recipients with multiple
variable fields, including information,
photos, illustrations, names, addresses
– everything on the brochure can
be changed from one piece to the
next. This applies to all applications of
the technology.
• Banners
• Books – especially appropriate for
high-quality, short-run books; also
effective for multiple covers.
• Business cards
• Calendars – which can be completely
personalized.
• Catalogs – variable fields allow
individualization for each
client in your
data base;
this allows
“do it yourself” catalogs where customers
can describe their purchase
desires to an e-commerce vendor
which then creates a custom catalog.
• CD covers/booklets.
• Certificates
• Comic magazines, in which characters
can actually be adapted to various
cultural or religious sensitivities.
• Contracts • Coupons
• Direct mail - brochures, statements,
company reports, catalogs, etc.
• Fine arts printing • Flyers
• Greeting cards
• Insurance and benefit plans - customized
to each client, with their
individual data and contract details.
• Leaflets • Letterhead
• Magazines • Manuals
• Menus
• Name tags
• Newsletters • Office documents
• Photo albums, generated from pictures
provided by a consumer.
• Photo ID cards • Postcards
• Point of sale/display
• Posters
• Presentations
• Product collateral
• Proofs
• Proposals
• Short-run printing
• Signage:
indoor and
outdoor
• Statements/forms
INDUSTRY SECTION l exchangemagazine.com l 27

individualized materials; each sheet printed
can be different from the previous
piece, changing names, paragraphs, illustrations,
background, in fact the entire
content of the piece.
As Michael Litwiller, owner of Waterloo
The highly computerized
nature of the digital printing
means all the prep work is
done “off line”. Everything
about the job – including
sophisticated variables if
Ampersand
Ampersand
Printing
Printing
MIKE MCDONALD FOUNDED AMPERSAND PRINTING, located at 123 Woolwich
Street, Guelph, in 1975. He describes it as “a small shop which has grown
over the years;” today, it has 22 staffers, including Vice President Damian
McDonald, Mike’s son.
The company was originally founded to print books, and while it still does
some book printing, it is now a commercial print shop (marketing materials,
catalogs, etc.), with a new and enthusiastic focus on digital printing. Damian,
who brings considerable web-based experience to the job,
believes digital printing will be a large part of the company’s
focus. Already, digital printing
has grown from zero in April, 2005,
when the equipment arrived, to 25%
of Ampersand’s output.
Mike describes the company
focus as “high quality... not that that
means more expensive.” Many of
their print clients are advertising
agencies in the Guelph and
K-W areas, and the McDonalds
believe that these clients will very
quickly grasp the benefits to their
customers of variable data printing.
“I see it building,” says Mike.
“Customers are coming up with
ideas and phoning us. It’s
always our aim to partner with
our customers.”
Damian McDonald
inventory wastage. They discovered
that using digital printing would cost an
additional $3 million annually. However,
they also discovered that their existing
system was producing $10 million in
excess inventory each year, all of which
was discarded as it became outdated.
Going digital actually saved Hewlett-
Packard $7 million annually, says Driever.
In fact, print on demand can significantly
decrease or even eliminate the
need for clients to have warehousing for
their print materials. Peter Cober notes
that Cober Printing now supplies
warehousing for some clients; the
combination of those facilities and
print on demand has eliminated
the need for some customers to
Printing, says, with “versioning” applications,
“You can change anything you can
imagine.”
ECONOMIC ADVANTAGES
THE ADVANTAGES IN TERMS of “individualizing”
direct mail brochures, customer statements,
and other promotional items are
obvious. And the potential for web-toprint
applications is enormous.
However, every company offering variable
digital printing agrees that, except for
very short-run printing, it is more expensive.
What is the economic gain for the client?
The gain comes at the two ends of the
process.
First, the short-run capacity of the
process is ideal for “print on demand.”
required – is stored in
servers. Printing additional
pieces is simply a decision
away. Mike Litwiller points out
that once the computerized
set-up is complete, it really
doesn’t matter if you do “one
copy or 5,000” on the variable
data printer.
More and more companies
are realizing the economic
advantages of print on
demand – including the company
that has supplied these
digital print systems to all four
local printers. According to Allprint
Ainsworth’s Erwin Driever, HP analyzed
their own printing patterns and
(left to right) John James, Gail Moore and
Bill Robinson of Ampersand Printing
28 l exchangemagazine.com l JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2006

have their own warehouses.
The other economic bang from digital
printing comes with the incredible level
of return on investment in well-designed,
personalized marketing pieces. The printers
we talked to agreed that traditional
direct mail pieces usually produce a
response rate of somewhere between
1% and 3%.
According to a variety of sources, the
response rate to pieces produced using
the full potential of variable data printing
is phenomenal. Most experts begin by citing
figures in the 15% to 20% range for
response rate, but then even more dramatic
success stories are told. Damian
McDonald says, “I have heard up to
37%” response rate.
Todd Cober, of Cober Printing, talks
about one client, a financial services institution,
that used variable data printing to
personalize client statements and include
promotional material about a new product.
The report is that 75% of recipients
responded, requesting additional information
or a meeting about the product.
With that kind of response, any additional
costs associated with the new
technology are a non-issue, suggest the
printers.
The potential for producing materials
targeted to individual recipients goes well
beyond brochures and statements. Printers
are already producing individualized
catalogs, calendars, certificates
and much more.
ACCURATE DATA
ONE KEY TO SUCCESSFULLY individualizing
materials lies with the
client – the data base must be
accurate and up to date. If information
about the person receiving the mailing is
Waterloo
Waterloo
Printing
Printing
MICHAEL LITWILLER OWNS WATERLOO PRINTING, 235 Frobisher Drive, Waterloo.
He is the second generation to be involved in the business – “My father, Walter,
worked for Waterloo Printing for 30 years.” Michael joined the business 17
years ago, and became owner in 1995.
The company currently employs 21 people. Litwiller says while the staff size
has remained constant for a number of years, the levels of production and
efficiency have continually improved through adoption of new technologies,
including variable data printing. “We’ve purchased the latest equipment,” he
says, “and we are making our people as efficient as possible.”
He describes his business as high quality commercial printing, including
marketing and promotional materials, booklets, books, calendars...
and much more.
Some of these projects are now being produced
using digital technology. Waterloo Printing has
already produced variable data, digitally printed
projects ranging from two copies – one in English,
one in French – to “a run of 40,000 where we personalized
everything.”
Litwiller notes,
Mike Litwiller
“the equipment
we’ve purchased is
the best in the
market. I can offer
this with the
quality they have
been accustomed
to.”
wrong, then the mailing will be wrong,
and the person will be significantly unimpressed.
Erwin Driever
stresses the
importance of
good data: “If the
data is not right,
you can cause
damage,” he says.
The client who
orders the print
job “has to be
(left to right)
Mike Litwiller and
Ken Ferral of
Waterloo Printing
responsible to ensure that data is correct.”
Ampersand’s Mike McDonald says,
“The companies that are going to be successful
are the ones who are going to
have the data base on their customers.”
Todd Cober agrees: “Having relevant
and up to date data is very important.”
Once upon a time, perhaps, printers
were concerned only with producing an
accurate copy of whatever the client
ordered. Today, though, with the potential
of the emerging technology, printers
see their role as being much bigger
than that. They will work with clients to
be sure data bases are useful. They
now have in-house design teams to
develop the most effective ways for
clients to use the new technologies.
INDUSTRY SECTION l exchangemagazine.com l 29

Sales people are trained in up to the
minute applications, because most
clients are not even aware of the
incredible potential for vastly improved
ROI on their print promotions.
WEB-TO-PRINT
AND, AS NOTED ABOVE, clients also are excited
about the potential of web-to-print
applications. Variable data technology is
the perfect environment for web-to-print.
Printing customers can now go on line,
big fan of variable data printing.
He suggests that companies
need to change their
way of thinking about marketing,
especially direct mail.
Until now, a company would
typically mail out, for example,
50,000 pieces, blanketing
a geographical area, and
achieving a very low
response rate. He admits that
using variable data printing
Cober
Cober
Printing
Printing
COBER PRINTING, at 965 Wilson Avenue in Kitchener, has been a family business
since Vernon Cober founded the company in 1916. He was succeeded by his
son, Lloyd. Lloyd’s son, Peter, is in charge today, joined by his son, Todd, and
Peter’s sister, Billie Gural, her husband Tom and their daughter, Cara Knight.
The business was founded to print flyers for Vernon’s corner store. It has
come a long way, today occupying 46,000 square feet and employing 60.
Peter says the company moved to its present location only
five years ago, but growth has been greater than anticipated
and already, says Peter, “It’s filling up.” The
majority of Cober’s clients are in Ontario, while 25%
to 30% of their business comes from the U.S.
Peter describes Cober’s focus as “general commercial
printing... higher end colour work.” He says the
company has remained on the leading edge of technological
innovation, and suggests this is a key to their
success. That has led to Cober’s investment in digital
printing, with a strong focus on web-to-print service, and
anticipated growth of
20% to 30% a year in
digital printing.
(left to right) Todd and Peter Cober of
Cober Printing
enthusiastically.
His initial clients, he says, have been
technologically sophisticated customers
“who were fully aware of the capability
that is there.” However, “very few people
are aware of this,” he adds. “That’s the big
selling job.” But Litwiller is confident that
this is not a tough sell – once clients learn
of the potential, they will be lining up to
take advantage of all the benefits of variable
data printing.
Peter Cober
and through the internet, design and
order printed materials. They can upload
their own material, or use variables of
brochures and other templates that are
offered by the printer, on line. Many use a
combination of these approaches, design
their own brochures, and order them. It is
truly “web-to-print” – an effective use of
the internet. Mike McDonald says the new
technology “complements the web.”
TARGETING CLIENTS
L IKE ALL OF THE PRINTERS interviewed,
Michael Litwiller of Waterloo Printing is a
will cost
more, per
piece, but
a s k s ,
“wouldn’t
it be
better
to contact
3,000 or 4,000 people you
really have a chance of selling to,” using
material specifically “personalized” for
each one? For Litwiller, the answer is obvious
– and he notes that every client who
has adopted this approach has agreed,
BETTER THAN EMAIL
DAMIAN MCDONALD of Ampersand believes
variable data printing is not only an
improvement on non-personalized
print marketing, it
is a great alternative to email
marketing. “This technology is a less invasive
means of getting information out,
and making it relevant.” He also is an
advocate of using the web to augment
30 l exchangemagazine.com l JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2006

individualized print marketing, inviting
clients to respond to personalized
pieces via the web, which allows both
collection of additional data, and tracking
of response rate. He argues that “if
you are using a website to measure
response, you can refine your approach
and try it again.”
He contends that most companies
today actually have the basic customer
data they need – “Most people have it,
whether they know it or not. This technology
allows them to leverage it.”
A MARKETING SOLUTION
THE NEW TECHNOLOGIES available through
printing companies and the interactivity
made possible by the internet has significantly
changed the relationship of printer
and client, according to Todd Cober of
Cober Printing. Today, “we are offering
customers marketing solutions,” he says.
That service, says his father, Peter, is
based on a complete package, “from
design to fulfillment.”
And the solutions offered are almost
unlimited in scope. Peter Cober refers to
one 16-page piece that included “90
areas of variability.” Todd points to the
advantages of print on demand, which
“gives the customers more options.”
Those customers, says Peter, are
increasingly aware of the options available
to them, and are enthusiastic about
the potential for variable data printing. In
fact, he contends that not only is the
technology now available, the time is also
right because of “the maturing of the
audience... people are recognizing the
marketing value of their data base.”
(left to right) Erwin Driever and Michelle
Drexler of Allprint Ainsworth Associates Inc.
Allprint
Allprint
Ainsworth
Ainsworth
Associates
Associates Inc.
Inc.
KLAUS ERTLE FOUNDED ALLPRINT in 1976, after working in the printing business since
the 1950s. He’s seen a lot of changes in the industry in almost half a century,
including significant growth of his own share of print trade. Allprint, now located
at 65 Hanson Avenue in Kitchener, acquired Ainsworth Press in 1993, and
the company now has 82 employees and occupies a 50,000 square foot facility.
That’s quite a change from Allprint’s first home on
Courtland Avenue, a 4,000 square foot facility. The
current plant is actually Allprint’s fourth location;
consistent growth took it to a 16,000 square foot
location in 1979, then to a 36,000 home in 1987,
before moving to the present locale in 1993.
Ertle describes his business mandate as
“commercial printing”, including advertising
materials, magazines, booklets, institutional publications,
point of purchase materials... and a
specialty of the house, distillery and
winery labels.
He characterizes the printing
industry in the 21st century as
one of “constant change... the
rate of change has escalated.”
Variable data, digital printing
is one of the latest significant
changes. Ertle estimates that
digital printing will soon
comprise 10% to 15% of
the company’s
business.
Klaus Ertle
CHANGE FOR THE BETTER
ALLPRINT’S KLAUS ERTLE notes
that the printing industry is
one that faces “constant
change... constant capital
investment is required.” But
from the perspective of his
clients, he has no doubt that
variable data printing is a
change for the better.
Erwin Driever says that Allprint’s
focus, at the outset, is
to identify customers who will benefit the
most from the new technology. “We’re
targeting specific clients who we know
have a need for it.”
But that list of clients will undoubtedly
grow, as more and more customers
recognize the incredible potential – from
short-run, print on demand, to web-toprint
efficiency to the almost magical
potential of variable data applications –
for their particular print communications
needs. ■
INDUSTRY SECTION l exchangemagazine.com l 31

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