Correct Selection of Variable Data Printing Solutions (I)

Although VDP has not become a “killer application” as quickly as color digital printers first appeared, it is through the joint efforts of digital brush equipment manufacturers, software developers, database experts, and industry insiders. Variable data printing has already begun to be accepted by printing manufacturers and markets. The emergence of more and more variable data printing solutions is expected to make variable data printing applications as easy to grasp and use as most desktop applications. But at least for now, we must still face the technical difficulties faced when implementing variable data printing, and printers need to make smart choices among multiple solutions according to their needs.

Technical Difficulties

Now everyone has a clearer understanding of the difficulties in implementing variable data printing or personalized printing. Variable data printing involves three different technologies: database development and discovery, information technology, and digital printing technology. In the past, few people in the printing industry had the knowledge and experience in these three areas at the same time. As printers and marketers gradually grasp the knowledge of these three areas, whoever masters new technologies will be able to obtain maximum benefits. In addition, the progress of standardization work is also very important for variable data printing. PODi, which is dedicated to promoting the development of digital printing and variable data printing, has developed standards such as PPML and JDF with the support of major digital printing solution providers. Currently, PODi is focusing on developing template standards for the variable data printing market. The emergence of such standards allows customers to be free from proprietary formats, allowing greater freedom in selecting equipment and variable data printing solutions.

RIP is also a bottleneck that affects the printing of variable data, because it takes RIP speed fast enough to drive digital printing equipment at full speed. Now that this issue has been basically solved, companies such as Hewlett-Packard, IBM, Creo, and EFl offer servers for variable data printing applications. These servers provide many special features that support 100% full variable data page printing.

For example, the full VDP solution provided by EFl includes Fiery FreeForm, PageFlex Persona, PrintShop Mail-Fiery, and Fiery Q4000 color digital print servers that support PPML-specific languages. The server integrates consistent color management, network connectivity, centralized management, and PDF-based workflows. The data center module connects to an IBM mainframe or AS/400.

Software solution

The emergence of open standards such as PPML has promoted the emergence of more software solutions that make VDP easier. The well-known foreign VDP software includes Agfa's Persona lizer-X; Banta Integrated Media's DesignMerge 4.0; Creo's Darwin Desktop editing typesetting tool; Exstream Software's Dialogue; GMC Software's GMC PintNet personalization software suite. IBM's AFP workflow for complex variable content document processing: printsoft's tools can be used to create print, email, fax, Internet, XMI. Personalized documents and messages for SMS applications; IntelliStream data workflow for X eikon: AtIas Software's Print Shop Mai1. In addition, PageFlex Designer and Xerox's Variablelnformation Postscript Printware (VlPP) Division provides custom dynamic document production capabilities. Variscript's Variscript can quickly generate a variable page, automatically extracting content from the database based on user-specified rules and conditions.

In addition to the design, factors related to VDF document printing production must also be considered. For example, some design solutions are bundled with specific output devices or front-end systems. For example, Agfa's Personalize-× is a Quark Xtensi0n extension for Chromapress IntelliStream. ×erox VIPP must be used with DocuColor and DocuTech systems. The domestic Founder Inkjet digital printing system uses Konica's series of products.

Some software allows the output of variable data files as Postscript files that can be sent to any digital press or converted to PDF files. AtIasS0ftware's PrintShop Mail supports all major RIP technologies.