HP Indigo Digital Presses Key to Company's Strategic Business Growth     

PALO ALTO, Calif.,  – DME, a pioneer in digitally printed direct mail, is using a newly installed HP Indigo 7500 Digital Press to expand its new "Customer Rave" customized gifts service for clients, a move DME considers integral to growing and differentiating its business.

The 29-year-old firm, based in Daytona Beach, Fla., wanted to offer more high-end marketing services to its clients, which include leading automotive and health care firms, professional sports teams and some of the nation's most popular collegiate athletics organizations. Kathy Wise, the company's chief operating officer, saw an opportunity in a sales tool she had developed – a small gift covered with personalized wrapping paper printed on the company's two-year-old HP Indigo 7000 Digital Press.

Personalized products that get results
"I created the gift to get a response from a prospect who would not call me back," said Wise. "When she received it, I got an appointment with her the very next day."

Convinced that HP Indigo digital presses, which use offset-quality liquid inks instead of dry toner, offer the superior color imaging needed for personalized, gift-type promotions, DME followed Wise's effort with an equally well-received test. Late last year, the company produced end-of-the-year digitally printed gifts for its customers and prospects featuring gifts with personalized wrapping paper placed inside of a personalized, wrapped box, shipped with a personalized greeting card that included a personalized url.

"The print quality with the HP Indigo press is wonderful," said Wise.
The success of the innovative employee gifts eventually led DME to develop its Customer Rave product line. Once clients submit a recipient list, DME assembles, prints and ships personalized gifts that meet the client's budget. The service had early wins with the United States Postal Service and other clients. Before long, the company had enough business and customizable product designs to justify installing its second HP Indigo press, the new 7500 model.

Creating a new category of product with HP Indigo quality
"DME has several different makes of digital presses, because we emphasize having the right tool for the right type of project," said Rob Carll, a DME vice president who directs the Customer Rave program. "While a lot of our work consists of customer retention mail pieces that do not demand high-quality color, there's an untapped market for higher-end personalization with Customer Rave. HP Indigo technology – especially the HP Indigo 7500 – gives us the quality and productivity needed to take full advantage of this new opportunity."

DME clients primarily use Customer Rave to create thank you and recognition gifts for their customers, prospects and employees. The company is expanding the Customer Rave product line and now offers calendars and photo mailers that take advantage of the HP Indigo 7500's compatibility with a broad range of substrates.
"When creative, entrepreneurial businesses like DME need technologies that can go one step beyond in terms of color, quality and productivity, the HP Indigo 7500 delivers," said Jan Riecher, vice president and general manager, Graphics Solutions Business – Americas, HP.

High uptime, high productivity
Featuring automated diagnostic and maintenance capabilities to increase press uptime and page production, the HP Indigo 7500 offers:
greater flexibility and higher image quality than other digital presses
true offset- and photo-quality imaging at speeds up to 120 four-color, letter-size pages per minute

Intelligent Automation features for high productivity, automated calibration and troubleshooting with a Vision System solution, and excellent color consistency
the ability to handle short- to medium-run length jobs as well as high-value applications, such as variable-data-driven marketing collateral, photo books and personalized direct mail.

DME financed the new press using HP Financial Services, the company's leasing and life cycle asset management services subsidiary. By choosing HP Financial Services, DME received competitive rates and flexible terms, and was able to preserve capital.

More information about HP Indigo digital presses is available at www.hp.com/go/gsb or through the HP Graphic Arts Twitter feed, www.twitter.com/hpgraphicarts.