The Future of Web-to-Print

Published: July 30, 2018

Dr. Sean Smyth, consultant for Smithers Pira, discusses a study he is working on that takes a look at the current state of web-to print—specifically, systems designed to allow print customers to create professional documents without being print professionals.

Tharstern's Approach to MIS and Business Intelligence

Published: April 23, 2018

Matt Miloszewski, Business Development Manager at Tharstern, talks about Tharstern's approach to MIS and managing operational data within print operations. Tharstern has over 700 installations globally.

Sell Workflows Not Print

Published: January 10, 2018

Solving workflow issues for a customer opens up the door to long-term repeatable business. Jennifer Matt cites recent project work where building workflows brought in significant print business.

PrintIQ's Approach to MIS and Workflow

Published: November 16, 2017

Mick Rowan (Director) and Adrian Fleming (Sales Director) at PrintIQ share their vision and approach to a cloud based management workflow system that goes beyond traditional MIS.

How to Think About Large Custom Development Projects

Published: August 24, 2017

Large software projects should be taken on with some extra planning upfront. Just like buildings, you should prototype and get a real sense of how the software is going to work. Given the time, we always build out the user experience first. Jennifer Matt interviews Chris Reisz-Hanson, a print software architect talks about how he would approach a large custom development project.

The Never Ending Implementation of Your Print MIS

Published: July 27, 2017

Print MIS implementation is a never-ending process. Jennifer Matt interviews Jane Mugford about why the evolution of the Print MIS does not end after the initial implementation. The vendor releases new versions, your business keeps changing (new products, new workflows) - your Print MIS needs to evolve with your business forever.

How to Protect Your Business when Managing Software Projects

Published: July 20, 2017

Jennifer Matt interviews Chris Reisz-Hanson, software architect about how to protect yourself. One of the key questions that is often missed is "who owns what?" Where is the source code stored? If you own the software, you should have access to the source code under an account in your business name.

Mobile Serves Two Audiences (Google and Your Customers)

Published: July 6, 2017

Google is judging you on multiple fronts as it pertains to mobile. Jennifer Matt interviews Kellie Rife, a front end web developer and user experience designer about how she thinks about servicing both audiences: Google and Your Customers.

Who is Running Your Business? People or Software

Published: June 22, 2017

Your software should run your business, your people should run your software. Can you easily get to the trusted data of your business? Is it in a trusted system of record (Print MIS/ERP)? Or do you have to gather up data from many different sources to get to a version of the truth? Jennifer Matt interviews Jane Mugford about helping printers transition from people run business to a software run business.

How Mobile is Changing the Software Design Process

Published: June 15, 2017

Mobile is now the predominate access point for users. Anything you put online needs to take into consideration how "mobile-friendly" your online experience is. Jennifer Matt interviews Kellie Rife, a web developer and user experience designer about how she thinks about mobile design.

Managing Custom Software Projects in Your Print Business

Published: June 8, 2017

Most printers have at some point hired a software programmer. Jennifer Matt interviews Chris Reisz-Hanson about why thinking about software programming with a single resource filling all the roles. Software is combination of user interface, defining the requirements, coding and testing - think about who is going to play all those roles before you start your next custom development project.

Choosing Your Next Print MIS Solution

Published: May 11, 2017

When you need to transition off a legacy Print MIS, there are few things that you need to consider when selecting your new trusted system of record. Jennifer Matt interviews Jane Mugford about how she guides companies through that decision process.

Describe the Challenges You Want to Solve with Software

Published: April 27, 2017

Our default reaction to talking about software is to try to describe the solution or a feature of the potential solution (e.g. drag and drop). Focus on telling the story of the CHALLENGE you are trying to solve - this is so much more helpful. What do you want to solve and who do you want to solve it for?

After the Honeymoon of Selling Web-to-Print Program

Published: April 20, 2017

When you sell a web-to-print program, you have a brief honeymoon period that needs to be optimized. Stay focused on the business goals - get orders flowing through the system. Nobody wants to hear from a customer saying, its been six months and we've seen no value!

Chain of Custody of Print Jobs

Published: April 13, 2017

One of the key functions of a Print MIS is to track where every single job is in your facility. Chain of custody is about inputting the transfer of ownership between resources in your plant. It always amazes us how powerful this one feature of a Print MIS when implemented properly.

Print Is Not Dead AND Its Not Returning to Past Dominance

Published: April 6, 2017

Print is not dead, we still need print and it needs to work and play well with its digital alternatives. The use of print has changed, especially in marketing. Printers need to extend their value proposition to understand all communication options in order to keep print relevant.

New Software Technology Introduced to a Printer

Published: March 30, 2017

When new technology is introduced into a printer the success of it really depends on how your people engage (or don't engage) with the software. The success is way more dependent on your team than it is on vendor. You have to learn the software and then strategically apply it to your business.

The Importance of a Good Web-to-Print Demo Site

Published: March 23, 2017

Demonstrating your web-to-print solution is critical to your sales process. Use your demonstration site to configure all the bells and whistles of your solution so you never have to say, "we support that feature but its not configured on this site."

The Software Technology Stack of Your Print Business

Published: March 16, 2017

our print software is as important as your print manufacturing equipment. Software enables you to get to new customers and automate your workflows to enable you to do more with less effort. Software is becoming your most strategic resource.

The Two Parallel Workflows of Your Print Business

Published: March 9, 2017

Your print business runs on two parallel paths (workflows), a product path and a business path. The production path results in a "physical product" that is shipped to your customer, the business path results in an accurate invoice that is delivered to your customer. Looking at your business in this manner can help you understand the roles of your Print MIS and your Production Management software tools.

Why a Fully-Implemented MIS Is Important to the Success of Your Company

Published: March 8, 2017

Jim Tomblinson has done a great job at Modern Litho as VP of Operations as the company has moved to automate operations and make the customer experience exceptional. An effective MIS system is key to their efforts -- and yours. Hear what Jim has to say about the importance of fully implementing your MIS.

Self-Service Access to Your Print Business

Published: March 2, 2017

Across all markets, customer's demand for self-service access to business transactions is growing. Customer convenience trumps full-service. A self-service interaction gives the customer full control of when they want to interact.

Fall in Love with Your Customer's Problems

Published: February 2, 2017

Our market demands you to be more consultative with your customers so you can extend your value proposition beyond a commodity manufacturer. The best way to be a good consultant is to understand your customer's challenges. You have to dive in and fall in love with your customer's problems in order to build up that trusted partnership that is immune to competitive pricing pressures.

Modern Litho Leverages Workflow Automation and MIS to Spur Growth

Published: January 30, 2017

Jim Tomblinson, VP of Operations at Jefferson City MO based Modern Litho led his company's very successful efforts to modernize and streamline the company's workflow, significantly enhancing the customer experience. He talks about the value of a scalable workflow in an environment of growth through acquisitions and organically. His hands-on experience provides good insight for his industry peers.

Change Management in Print MIS

Published: January 26, 2017

When your Print business is faced with changing your Print MIS, the attitude towards the change can make all the difference. Are you looking to force the Print MIS software to work just like you work today or are you willing to adapt your workflows to optimize how the Print MIS software was built?