The service that printing companies offer both consumers and businesses alike seems relatively straightforward on the surface - they take graphics files and print them. This is however, as you'd expect a very simplistic overview of the business processes that a printing company goes through to produce the final product.
The business process follows a certain pattern which is the same across most printing businesses. Someone requiring a brochure, business cards, magazine or some other document will make contact with the printer. The printer will provide a price for the job, generally created from within a Management Information System (MIS) and is assigned a job number. At this point the printer anticipates the receipt of a file from the customer, but how?
Many printers have in the past received files as email attachments. However, with the increasing problems caused by email attachment limits, no guarantee of delivery and frequent file corruption taking place, email is not suitable for this purpose. Many printers now happily use FTP for receiving files but these systems don't tend to be particularly user friendly. Perhaps more importantly they don't offer much in the way of integration capabilities, depending upon the solution and the way in which it's been deployed.
So, what are the key considerations for a printer when implementing a file transfer solution. Well there are a number of things to consider, these are;
1. Keep it simple
When implementing a solution it should cater for a wide range of customers with different technical abilities. Generally a web browser based system is considered better than FTP for user adoption, which also offers branding opportunities.
2. Flexibility is key
Whilst a web browser might work for some customers, FTP or email based delivery will work for others. A range of delivery protocols is a must for non-technical customers.
3. Make sure your customers data is secure
Customers may send commercially sensitive documents or depending upon the type of printer, financial documents, reports and accounts, credit card statements and more. Providing a secure file transfer solution is essential and consideration for the security of data whilst in transit and at rest after delivery should be taken into account.
4. Auditing & notification
Tracking and logging who sent what and when, is a necessity for printing companies. All too often, disputes can arise relating to when a file was sent in, or not, specifically if they have missed a print run or a deadline. A full audit trail negates any dispute and when coupled with automated email notifications and file manifests on receipt of files, the printer can rest assured that the outcome will be better relationships with their clients.
5. Automation using XML/JDF
The problem that many printing companies have with their existing FTP solutions is the lack of integration capabilities. Printing companies rely on automation to streamline operations in a marketplace where margins are slim. Providing XML/JDF Job Tickets and workflow forwarding to integrate with CTP workflows or MIS systems is more often than not a necessity, rather than a nice to have.
6. File sending
Once files have been received, often the printer needs to send a PDF proof, preflight report or the file back to the client for changes to be made. Therefore, a printers file transfer solution needs to provide a simple way to get the files back to customer with the minimum of fuss. Using embedded links within emails for a simple one-click download is considered the norm and if it can be integrated with the workflow to further automation, even better.
If a printer manages to tick all of the above boxes when implementing a file transfer solution, the technology in most cases will be deemed to be successful. Rather than proving to be the bottleneck to the business, which many cheap online services tend to be, the file transfer solution becomes an integral technology that assists them in providing a more streamlined and automated business workflow.
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