Variable Printing needs more Variation

Latz Personal Printer has been doing personalized printing since 1937. Not much has changed in personal printing space since that time. Frank Romano urges printers to go "beyond" the name.

Hi, this is Frank Romano for WhatTheyThink.com. I’m here in front of one of the world’s first personalized printers. It is the Latz Personal Printer, L-A-T-Z. In 1937, Harry Latz, an advertising executive in New York, wanted to have a way of printing people's names or other personalized information on things that had already been printed. In fact, the patent specifically says “to print on things that were previously printed. It was filed for and awarded in 1937.

This was the first approach to putting people's names on individual units. It used Linotype slugs in those days, lead slugs that had your name on them in different fonts and sizes. They came along a raceway and, when they got to this part of the machine, they came through, there was an inking system over here, you put the piece that you wanted to imprint the name and it would then imprint one name on it. The slug would then move off and move back in the machine and the next slug would come up, come through and you would print that particular piece as well.

Fascinating machine. Only four were ever built. One of them is here at the Museum of Printing in North Andover, and we’re going to get it working, believe it or not. We have a working Linotype. We’ll get this device working. So we’re going to demonstrate variable data printing, 1937 style.

And that's the problem with variable data printing today. Most of us think it’s just a name. Well, I think we have to move beyond that. We have to realize that imagery is almost as important as the personalized text information that you put on there. That's the true strength of variable data printing, that you can now put imagery on there and tie that image into something you know about the person.

We’ve kind of missed the boat on variable data printing. It has not grown as fast as everyone said it would, and yet it’s one of the most important promotional tools we have. In era of target marketing, because mass marketing has gone away, in era of target marketing, the ability to get people's attention with information we know about them and to use that information in some intelligent, innovative and even fun way is really the way we’re going to sell stuff. And that can only happen if we get beyond someone's name. Hey, we were doing that in 1937, and that's my opinion.

Discussion

By David Avery on Apr 04, 2012

I do find it amazing that I do not receive VDP mailings that rise above the "Dear David," class. Unless its from a company trying to sell me software or supplies for VDP.

By James Olsen on Apr 04, 2012

I wonder if Henry Latz used Heinz Ketchup http://www.myheinz.com/Home.aspx#/choose

By Deb Haines on Apr 04, 2012

Love it! I worked at a (bank) check printer back in the ‘80s and they used linotype machines with punch-tape readers. I worked in order entry, and even helped the sluggers prepare the trays for the presses. (Too bad I didn’t keep the slug with my name on it, would have been a great souvenir.)

I agree, that the bulk of VDP, especially direct mail, is not much more than a name/address and perhaps unique value (like current point values or amount owed). I am surprised that the only fully personalized print pieces I receive in the mail are from my car manufacturer. The reason I’m surprised is that I fill-out all the forms, all the preferences, and I know that many retailers/hotel chains/etc. have tons of information that could be used, instead I only see my name a few times on the document. Since teaching how to use variable is my job, I am very critical when I see personalization of any kind and actually do pay attention to what could have been personalized for me.

I have seen many innovative campaigns that use blocks or pages of text, colors/fonts, charts, images and personalized imagery and more. (I do have an advantage, many of the implementers of those campaigns are customers I train/support.) However, I’ve also seen countless number of targeted campaigns where a little more thought in how to use the data (they already have) could do wonders for the client.

I believe the issue is the agencies that create these materials and campaigns. Once they catch up to advertising and communicating to each individual (on a massive scale) is completely possible, nothing will stop them pushing rich personalization as the norm for variable.