Noel Ward Talk with any print provider about the most important capabilities they look for in a print engine and flexibility is usually near the top of the list. Whether the facility is an in-plant or commercial operation, every piece of equipment has to justify itself in terms of productivity and ROI. After all, a press or digital printer only makes money when it is running. This means maximizing the ways a given print engine can be used. Most print providers want machines that can, at the very least, handle a broad number of jobs easily and with minimal set-up times. And these days, more capable machines are required just to match customers' changing demands. Key among these are highlight color, variable data and the ability to handle a broad range of substrates. Just a Little Color There's no doubt about it, more customers are asking for color more often. But in a world where full-color printing still means a hefty premium (along with a host of potential workflow issues), many customer find that just a little added color can make a huge difference in the look, feel and value of a document. Newsletters, manuals, directories, books, marketing materials, statements and invoices are all more appealing and effective when highlight color is added to the page. The traditional solution of offset printed color shells with laser-printed black text works well as far as it goes; but comes with additional overhead that adds to the cost of document production. Printing shells necessitates a two-step print production process along with maintaining and managing an inventory of materials. Both are shortcomings for the new ways highlight color is being used today. For example, marketing messages added to statements and invoices are proven to be far more effective when done in color, but it can't be done well with offset printed shells. Likewise, new applications, such as graphical representations of mutual fund performance must be done on-the-fly. The challenge, though, is that relatively few black and white print engines have highlight color capabilities. Among those that do, many offer only a limited palette of colors and may have less-than-user-friendly control systems. Changing color between jobs is often a time-consuming process, adding to costs and compromising productivity. To be efficient and effective in a production workflow, highlight color must add value to a document without adding a burdensome costs or workflow headaches.. It's a Variable Data World Out There Variable data printing is no longer an illusion. It has hit the mainstream and virtually any type of document can have variable content added to it. Customer demand for personalization and customization is on the increase. A wide range of companies are using database-driven marketing messages based on specific customer information, needs or preferences. These messages are increasingly being incorporated into statements and invoices, often in highlight color. Furthermore, while variable data was once limited to statement and transactional printing, it now empowers a wide range of publishing applications. While document processing service bureaus and in-plant operations may be comfortable with variable content, many commercial and in-plant printers are not. They need solutions that help make up for their unfamiliarity and provide support for future needs. Paper-handling a Must Another side of flexibility and functionality is with paper. Customers are expecting jam-free reliability across an increasing range of cut-sheet substrates. While most cut-sheet machines are designed for weights ranging from about 20-lb. bond to perhaps 110-lb card stocks, customers want more. Label stocks and multi-part forms are now the rule rather than the exception. The challenge is that not all cut-sheet machines have the flexibility needed to run the broad range of substrates now being required. Very often, pages beyond the most common sizes and weights won't allow a printer to run at rated speed or may result in jams. Such design limitations quickly become productivity or workflow inhibitors, making a machine less productive, reducing ROI, and increasing operating costs. Print providers need the flexibility of being able to run the widest possible range of substrates without worrying about jams, mis-feeds and other issues.