Issue No. 5
July 2008
At InfoPrint Solutions Company, our purpose is to help you increase revenue and decrease costs with comprehensive solutions to complex print and output challenges - no matter how large (or small) your business.
Delivering solutions that can help grow your businessLearn how InfoPrint Solutions Company is addressing your business’ challenges. Inside this newsletter we have announced three new products – all fast, compact and feature-rich – and all of which are aimed at improving your productivity. We’ve also redesigned our Web site, which focuses on improving usability and navigability, as well as the communication of our output solutions to meet your needs. And important for our US customers, you will find information on Intelligent Mail barcode, which offers ways for you to maximize your postal efficiency and savings. Delve into InfoPrint Solutions Company and see how our solutions and products can help your business become more efficient and effective.
Please register for future issues of InfoPrint Insights:
Subscribe to InfoPrint Insights >In This Issue:
NewsSimpler and easier: The new infoprint.com >
InfoPrint Solutions celebrates one-year anniversary >
Sustainability is core to our business >
New products: Fast, compact and feature-rich >
Solutions: Intelligent Mail barcode - why, when and how to upgrade >
Events & Education
DRUPA highlights >
National Postal Forum recap >
CMO Council: TransPromo and precision promotion >
TransPromo Summit 2008: Register now! >
Plan to attend DMA '08 >
Graph Expo 2008: Register now and receive a free pass compliments of InfoPrint >
Education Course: InfoPrint Manager Configuration & Administration - enroll now >
Solutions
Automated Document Factory >
Direct Mail >
Optimization >
Print On Demand >
Productivity Solutions Suite >
TransPromo >
Partnerships
Free print study can help you save up to 40% of your print costs >
NEWS
Check out our new Web site to see the results of the first phase of our redesign. We hope you find it much easier to get around the site and find the information you need. In addition to visual redesigns and navigational improvements, we’ve added valuable output solutions that address our customers’ needs. Later this year, the second phase will include more usability enhancements with an emphasis on collaboration opportunities.
The new Web site reflects the investments that Ricoh and IBM are making in InfoPrint Solutions Company to help us achieve our top objectives: solve important output management challenges better than any other company and lead the industry in innovation and customer service. To support this, planned usability studies and focus groups will help direct our efforts, and over time, the site will more fully reflect customer insights and feedback, as well as output solution priorities.
In the future, be prepared for a richer Web experience as we continue to improve our virtualization and personalization capabilities. We aim to build a site that’s more interactive while providing thought leadership and collaboration. Look for this now on infoprint.com!
InfoPrint Solutions celebrates one-year anniversaryGrowth and expansion are great ways to mark a successful year. So too are our continued improvements in customer support, as well as our announcements about new output solutions. We’re expanding into Asia Pacific as well as India, Russia and China. And, our work force has nearly doubled.
On June 1, 2008, approximately 1,200 IBM employees joined the InfoPrint global work force. The transition of the IBM printer service specialists to InfoPrint Solutions is part of the joint venture agreement between IBM and Ricoh. The specialists have been providing both warranty and maintenance contract support for IBM and InfoPrint Solutions-branded printers, and they will continue to serve InfoPrint customers. The newly launched InfoPrint University will provide ongoing education of maintenance professionals, and a new wireless service delivery application and new supply inventory system will streamline parts orders and service call management.
During the past year we launched new offerings that extend the benefits of Advanced Function Presentation (AFP) architecture and Intelligent Printer Data Stream (IPDS), which set industry standards for mission-critical business printing. TransPromo, Print On Demand, Direct Mail and other solutions are proven to deliver high quality and reliability. Whether you’re working in production or general office environments, InfoPrint solutions will continue to be good for business and good for the environment.
As we enter our second year as InfoPrint Solutions, we want to thank our customers, employees, partners and suppliers for your support and collaboration. We look forward to building our businesses together!
Sustainability is core to our business
Environmental conservation is core to our business operations worldwide. We are committed to seven actions. They include the development of innovative environmental technologies, recycling-reuse, environmental awareness education for our employees and more. Check out the ways we look forward to contributing to the creation of a sustainable society.
These new monochrome laser printers provide the document sequence integrity of continuous forms printing in a new compact space and at a low cost of operation. For documents that must remain in page sequence, the InfoPrint 75 or InfoPrint 100 can print invoices, picking slips, labels or mailings with the high throughput of a continuous forms printer. These printers are Energy Star® compliant, compact and fast. Print at speeds of up to 116 pages per minute (ppm) and 154 ppm¹, respectively. The printers support both PostScript and PCL data languages, print in high quality at 600 dpi, providing clarity on text and graphics for such output as barcoded labels. They include easy-to-use auto loading and an internally powered output stacker. Intelligent Printer Data Stream™ (IPDS™) support is planned for the first half of 2009.
The high-speed InfoPrint EMP156 monochrome cutsheet printer offers robust functionality in a compact footprint. Data centers or departments with high-volume, high-duty cycle requirements can print up to 4.5 million impressions a month at speeds up to 156 ppm¹ letter/A4. The Energy Star® qualified InfoPrint EMP156 can help you lower cost of print because you can consolidate print workloads and complete diverse jobs in house. Support for multiple data streams, including IPDS™, streamlines output production. Reliable vacuum feed paper trays are designed to accommodate a wide variety of media. You can even load and unload media and consumables while you’re printing. The operator-friendly control panel on the device and the Web-based interface allow you to configure and manage the printer remotely.
With print speeds up to 800 cps¹ and up to 2 straight continuous form paper paths for outstanding paper-feeding reliability, the InfoPrint 4247-X03 industrial impact printer is designed to deliver dynamic performance in the most demanding and rigorous environments. Optional dual front paper paths and heavy-duty 6-pin tractors provide easy forms loading and support for printing on a wide range of media types. Lower per-page costs, worry-free operation, and an extended functional lifetime allow InfoPrint impact printers to deliver performance and value in challenging environments that laser printers cannot match. For mission-critical applications where reliability is paramount, or when the cost of printing is a concern, the InfoPrint 4247-X03 delivers an unbeatable combination of performance and value.
The US Postal Service is requiring mailers to convert from the POSTNET barcode to the Intelligent Mail barcode by May 2009 in order to receive the full discounts for presorted mail. For large mailers, the lost discounts can amount to tens of thousands of dollars per month. Learn how you can implement Intelligent Mail barcode quickly and inexpensively using the InfoPrint Instant Mail Barcode (IMB) utility software. Why reprogram upstream applications when it’s not necessary? View the replay of our informational webinar on this topic. (password is “mailsolution”).
EVENTS & EDUCATION
The beautiful city of Düsseldorf, Germany was a great venue for one of the most important tradeshows for the output industry. DRUPA attracted over 1,900 exhibitors from 52 countries, and over 390,000 visitors from 138 countries.
Several of our technology teammates participated in demonstrations of comprehensive solutions that included Automated Document Factory, TransPromo, Direct Mail, Print On Demand (POD) and workflow management. These applications ran on a duplex InfoPrint 5000 continuous forms color printing system (with Lasermax pre- and post-processing equipment) and the new InfoPrint EMP156 monochrome cutsheet printer. Many visitors were impressed by the combination of print and personalization possibilities offered by software such as InfoPrint ProcessDirector (IPPD), Prinova’s messagepoint™, Mapping Suite, GMC PrintNet Suite and Exstream Dialogue.
Direct marketers at the show were excited by the “cost per respondee versus cost per mailpack” approach of multi-channel communications – and in particular personalized Web pages created on the fly to include offers based on customer insight.
High volume mailers liked the modular approach of the InfoPrint Automated Document Factory (ADF), with which you can achieve mailroom integrity, postal optimization and output management. If you are managing multiple sites – or want to for disaster recovery or backup – an ADF simplifies everything and gives you the control and visibility you need.
InfoPrint's Print On Demand workflow solutions demonstrated how shorter print runs, faster turnaround times, complex set-ups and manual processes are possible without compromising quality, speed or cost. POD discussions included books, manuals, versioned educational course packs and personalized marketing collateral.
For general office and industrial environments, we discussed opportunities to optimize output infrastructures and boost productivity of people and assets with the latest workgroup printers and RFID printers.
To our customers who joined us at DRUPA - thank you for helping us celebrate our first anniversary.
National Postal ForumIntelligent Mail barcode and TransPromo were the hot topics at the National Postal Forum, which was held in May in Anaheim, California. In the face of rising postal costs, companies are looking for innovative ways to go to market and to lower cost. No small challenge, but InfoPrint can help. Our InfoPrint IMB software utility is a one-step solution to upgrade from POSTNET to the Intelligent Mail barcode in your AFP files, so you can avoid reprogramming applications. And TransPromo has been shown to increase responses, revenue and loyalty through personalized communications.
CMO Council – TransPromo and precision promotionInfoPrint Solutions Company and the CMO Council co-hosted a TransPromo event in New York City on May 28. Many senior marketing professionals from Fortune 500 companies attended a half-day session that included presentations by both InfoPrint Solutions Company representatives and InfoPrint customers.
InfoPrint Solutions is also collaborating with the CMO Council to launch the Precision Promotion Research Initiative. The program is designed to identify best practices for integrating transactional print and electronic communication with promotional marketing to leverage the value and effectiveness of statement merchandising.
Please join InfoPrint Solutions Company in New York City August 13-14 for all the latest on TransPromo. This two-day event explores the exciting potential of TransPromo and how senior level marketing professionals can apply critical thinking and innovative strategies to maximize return on their investment. Through case studies, discussion groups and networking opportunities, attendees can learn how best to implement TransPromo and evaluate technology and service providers. Chris Reid, InfoPrint Director of Monochrome Production Printing Solutions, will be participating in the keynote panel and we will have several other key executives for TransPromo representing InfoPrint during the event. Through our Platinum Sponsorship, we are committed to helping our customers realize the benefits of TransPromo and are proud to help provide a forum for thoughtful discussion on these exciting new techniques.
Plan to attend DMA ‘08Be sure to check out DMA ’08, taking place October 12-14 in Las Vegas, Nevada. InfoPrint will be promoted at the DMA ’08 conference at booth #1473. We’ll be showcasing our various solutions and technology teammates to share how you can benefit from working with InfoPrint in the Direct Marketing industry.
Graph Expo 2008 – register now and receive a free pass compliments of InfoPrintIt's coming! The most comprehensive printing tradeshow in the Americas: GRAPH EXPO 2008! Taking place October 26-29, GRAPH EXPO will host more than 600 exhibitors, and InfoPrint will be there!
As one of our most valued customers, we would like to invite you to visit us at GRAPH EXPO 2008 as our guest. GRAPH EXPO will be held October 26-29, 2008 at McCormick Place in Chicago, IL.
GRAPH EXPO is the most comprehensive prepress, printing, package printing, converting, mailing and fulfillment, and digital equipment trade show and conference in the Americas.
To register for the complimentary customer exhibits-only pass that we have reserved for you, please be sure to use the following registration link by October 10th: Register
This pass will enable you to enter the Exhibit Hall free of charge, on all four days of the show!
For more information on GRAPH EXPO please visit the GRAPH EXPO Web site. We appreciate your business and look forward to seeing you in Chicago!
Education Course: InfoPrint Manager Configuration & Administration – enroll nowInfoPrint Manager software can help lower total cost of ownership and improve resource management and productivity in your output operations. Whether you are experienced with InfoPrint Manager or new to it, learn more about managing your print environment in this week-long class. It will also give you the opportunity to learn from our Advanced Technical Support Team in Boulder, as well as exchange ideas with other customers. Class details and enrollment information are below:
InfoPrint Manager Configuration & Administration Class
September 8-12, 2008
Boulder, Colorado
Enrollment: Contact Lori Czuba at czuba@us.ibm.com or 303-924-6661
Cost: $2095 per seat. We have 20 seats available for this intermediate customer course. FTSS are welcome to join their customers in the class.
- Basic AIX skills
- An understanding of Advanced Function Presentation (AFP) printing fundamentals, that is, Mixed Object: Document Content Architecture (MO:DCA)
- Introduction to InfoPrint Manager
- Install InfoPrint Manager for AIX and apply software updates
- Configure an installed solution based on dynamic user requirements
- Troubleshoot common problems and errors associated with the solution
- Understand and manage job flow through the system
- InfoPrint Manager planning
- Installation overview (servers and clients)
- Troubleshooting, system backup and working with support
- Datastream transform capabilities
- SAP, security, notification and other features
- Administration and operation tasks
- Technical familiarity with customer print requirements, AIX and Windows experience
- IBM InfoPrint XT overview, installation, configuration, printing and diagnostics
SOLUTIONS
An ADF solution helps solve three common challenges – postal optimization, mailroom integrity and output management.
Learn more >
Direct MailInfoPrint solutions provide the hardware, software and management tools to help you maintain a competitive edge when it comes to direct mail – through exceptional print quality on varied media at a low cost.
Learn more >Optimization
Optimization focuses on lowering total cost of print, simplifying a customer’s output infrastructure, and improving operational efficiency – all more important than ever in a tough economy.
Learn more >Print On Demand
Manage print-on-demand jobs without compromising quality, speed or cost and transform the way you work with InfoPrint’s Print On Demand Solutions.
Learn more >Productivity Solutions Suite
Productivity Solutions help you collect, compose and distribute critical documents faster.
Learn more >TransPromo
TransPromo combines personalized marketing messages with must-read statements, invoices, and other documents to help you accomplish two important, measurable results: increased revenue and retained customers.
Learn more >PARTNERSHIPS
Discretionary print projects may be driving your costs sky high. A 10-page color presentation, for example, can cost as much as $3.00-$6.00 to print. But now there’s a simple way to see what’s happening in your Windows environment – a free, downloadable print study that you can set up in a few minutes.
Our technology teammate Preo Software has developed an IT-friendly print study that can help you make decisions about user training, user controls, and device consolidation, relocation and right-sizing. No software is installed, nothing runs on your network, and no confidential data leaves your network.
Contact your InfoPrint Solutions Partner Specialist for assistance with setup, analysis and recommendations.
Download the study
LEARN MORE
One-year anniversary press release >
InfoPrint 75 >
InfoPrint 100 >
InfoPrint EMP156 >
InfoPrint 4247-X03 >
Sustainability policy >
TransPromo Summit 2008
GRAPH EXPO 2008
Preo print study
- Exact speed varies depending on document complexity, system configuration, software application, driver and printer state.