Discussion

By Jason Pinto on Aug 10, 2011

Hi Bryan,
Excellent job on this article!

I think that Graph Expo is going to be a great show for a lot of companies this year, both for suppliers and printers.

I think integration and automation are absolutely critical, especially when it comes to marketing-related services.

And I think that it's going to be a heck of a lot of fun to talk about some of the things that companies can do when it comes to mobile marketing nowadays.

See you there soon,
Jason

By Karen Keenan on Aug 10, 2011

Bryan,

Thanks for the update on some potential vendors to scout out at the show. I'm really looking forward to seeing the progression of automation/workflow solutions. It can be an overwhelming task for printers to figure out what solution is the best fit with so many options. We have a very solid JDF "lights-out" production workflow at Associates International, but it is a constant work in progress. Can't wait.

By Jeffrey Stewart on Aug 10, 2011

This is a very good article Bryan. I've seen these trends emerge for a number of years. I think that cloud based software as a service and mobile are big drivers of the rest. I too look forward to see what vendors bring out at Graph Expo.

By Thaddeus B Kubis on Aug 10, 2011

I would say that some form of new business programming is needed. Then these wonderful tools can be used.

By John Foley on Aug 11, 2011

And the best Marketing tech will be found in the New Marketing Pavilion. - Ill see you there Mr. Yeager!

Woot!

- John
@johnfoleyjr

By Jason Pinto on Aug 12, 2011

Hi Bryan,
Excellent job on this article!

I think that Graph Expo is going to be a great show for a lot of companies this year, both for suppliers and printers.

I think integration and automation are absolutely critical, especially when it comes to marketing-related services.

And I think that it's going to be a heck of a lot of fun to talk about some of the things that companies can do when it comes to mobile marketing nowadays.

See you there soon,
Jason

By Vitaly Golomb on Aug 12, 2011

Bryan, thanks for the nice mention of Keen. We are excited to show the world what we've been working on for 3+ years.

By Lois Ritarossi on Aug 18, 2011

Bryan great job summarizing the software trends that are driving the industry. Many printers who have made investments in these areas have been able to truly provide value added services to their customers and reduce costs.

By Chuck Gehman on Aug 20, 2011

Good list Bryan, and I hope attendees take it to heart!

The items on this list that have been around for awhile, like MIS and Workflow Automation, are must-haves for printers to succeed today and have been for some time. It's almost astonishing that Enfocus' Switch won an InterTech Award this year for the first time-- everyone should own this software, there is nothing else like it.

Web-enablement-- which is a good way to put it rather than the ambiguous Web2Print-- is something that not enough printers are doing, and that everyone MUST do to succeed.

"The pace of change is accelerating." Sounds like a cliche, doesn't it? But it is absolutely true.

The Cloud. If your company isn't already using applications in the Cloud and considering deploying your own software there, you should be. It's a major game changer, and not hype. Learn as much as you can about it.