Product category:
Direct Mail Printing and Services
News Release from: Kodak Graphic Communications Group | Subject: Kodak Versamark VT3000
Edited by the Printingtalk Editorial
Team on 06 October 2005
Printer And Software Drive Direct Mail
Growth
Eastman Kodak Company has installed the first Kodak Versamark VT3000 printing system in Europe at dde-dse IT Group in Germany.
Eastman Kodak Company has installed the first Kodak Versamark VT3000 printing system in Europe at dde-dse IT Group in Germany The new technical capability, combined with a proprietary software program called Easy Post.Net, enables dde-dse IT Group to offer its clients fully personalised direct mailings that are optimised for maximum efficiency in delivery and follow-up, said Kodak
This article was originally published on Printingtalk on 17 Nov 2004 at 8.00am (UK)
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That strategic service distinguishes dde-dse IT Group from competitors and has established the company as the leader in data management, logistics and production services for direct mail clients, added the company.
Jens Henning, the chief executive officer of the dde-dse IT Group, recognised the potential of the VT3000 to cement his company's position in the high-growth direct mail market.
After careful examination, he chose the VT3000 system for its variable data printing capabilities.
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Equipped with eight inkjet print heads, the VT3000 facilitates 4/4 colour printing in a single pass, at a claimed speed of up to 2,000 DIN A4 pages per minute.
The roll-to-roll process offers a print resolution of 300 dots per inch (dpi) x 600dpi for printing and finishing full-color products.
The VT3000 system works with the dde-dse IT Group's in-house software to produce a full range of personalised business correspondence, billings and promotional materials that are individually adapted to specific target groups.
A key advantage is the dde-dse IT Group's ability to optimise the printing with the customer's particular shipping logistics.
The result is highly targeted mailings that can be generated in a variety of customised formats and accurately produced with a minimum of time and materials.
The dde-dse IT Group is claimed to be the only firm in Germany to offer that comprehensive direct mail service, from printing to fulfillment and delivery.
By using a fully digital process, the dde-dse IT Group has gained speed as well as flexibility.
With conventional offset production methods for pre-printed billing forms, only the recipient's personal data is included and a payment slip is pre-printed, stored and inserted in a separate step.
In contrast, the payment slip at dde-dse is generated along with the bill within the digital printing process, which allows data to be added or changed anywhere on the form.
The entire form is printed in full colour and contains individual logos, contact information and recipient data.
A data matrix can be added to ensure high-level security and to monitor the delivery process.
Direct mail pieces can be traced via a shipping document that contains all relevant data, up to and including the recipient.
In that way, the sender can determine not only if and when an item was delivered to the recipient, but also the content of the mailing.
The proprietary software developed by dde-dse allows customer data to be fine-tuned according to the specific fulfillment specifications.
For example, an automatic bank deposit or withdrawal slip containing all the data required for payment can be printed on a bill or notice.
Jens Henning explained: "Thanks to our new digital process, we can easily produce products that are completely personalised for the recipient.
The benefit is significantly reduced costs in terms of time and materials.
Just as importantly, no additional storage is required.
Because the VT3000 is equipped with extensive processing options, we can even add a perforation step to make a payment slip easily separable from the form.
The result is a single entity, comprised of a bill and payment slip, printed for example, on Ziegler 850 paper." Henning added that another advantage is that recipient data from several companies can be combined, so that additional promotional documents, such as flyers, product offers and advertising letters, for instance, can be inserted in an individual mailing.
Each of the documents can readily be personalised for the respective final customer.
That provides the option for each mailing to be entirely different from the previous one, delivering a marketing and service advantage for dde-dse IT Group's clients.
Jens Henning reported that his customers are profiting from the ability to create personalised promotional mailings with a response rate that is an average of 10 times higher than conventional mailings.
Instead of producing thousands of identical mails, dde-dse IT Group uses its web-based Easy-Post.Net software program and existing customer data to create specially customised mailings for the target group, said Kodak.
The software manages routing, digital printing, inserting, shipping and response processing.
It offers options for processing and converging a variety of data flows, traces mailings and optimising postage costs.
Easy-Post.Net marries up with the Versamark VT3000's variable data printing process to ensure that each mailing contains not only the corresponding personal data, as well as custom data, such as specific images or advertisements, personalised offers and reply elements, depending on the type of customer.
A data matrix can be integrated in the product group as well, allowing the mailing and its exact content to be traced.
The process facilitates personalised communication with the recipient, beyond the limits of conventional mailings, said Kodak.
The full-colour personalised texts, products, image elements and offers also attract more attention.
"The run lengths for these kind of mailings are normally shorter because the mailings are not sent out to an enormous number of undefined recipients.
They are specifically designed for a selected target group," said Henning.
Since the installation of the Kodak Versamark VT3000 System, Jens Henning has observed increased efficiency, as well as positive customer feedback.
He added: "Our clients are pleased with the ability to create fully customised mailings that generate a higher response rate and they save a significant amount of time and money.
We are benefiting from a streamlined digital production process.
It's a win-win situation for all.".
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