Best Practices: Digital Strategies

Iovoli says that at Hammer, the marketing efforts were made easier thanks to a contact list that has been built over the 103 years the company has been in business. And because of this massive outreach, Iovoli says it did not take long to drum up customer interest in digital jobs.

“Between our own internal newsletters, e-news, mailing out samples, direct mail, and the sales force talking with our primary clients, just within our own portfolio or family of clients, we generated interest almost immediately,” he says.

At Steinhauser, explaining some of the various benefits that digital printing provides leads to much of the digital work that comes in. For example, Wermes says that if a customer is doing a product redesign or has something specific in mind, digital is an easy sell.

Because the press does not require plates and requires minimal makeready, changes can be made quickly and proofs can be provided almost instantaneously.

“It’s a lot cheaper for customers to play around with changing a label than it would be to do a full-blown flexo run,” Wermes says. “Digital lets you make changes on the fly. It’s not a plate change and it’s not four hours. You go to the file and 15 minutes later you can see the redesigned label off the press.”

Support your Investment

Because buying a brand new digital press is a major capital investment, proper maintenance and support of the machine is essential.

Wermes explains that when Steinhauser added its digital press, the company didn’t bring in new operators to simply keep an eye on the press as it ran. Instead, he says experienced operators were tasked with manning the digital press, because they understood the importance of a well-maintained machine.

“We have pressmen who have run flexo presses for years now running our digital press,” Wermes says. “They are meticulous about maintenance and keeping it clean.”

Iovoli explains digital also opens up several windows to problem-solving opportunities. Because of the press’s versatility, an operator’s creativity can go a long way in ensuring a job is done right.

“If you have the right converter supporting your project, there’s always more than one way to accomplish a goal,” he says. “This press is only as limited as your imagination.”