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16 JUNE 2014 • INKJET'S AGE www.MyPRINTResource.com tors added [color inkjet] equipment, and we've seen them actually try to turn over their current models to the newer models. This equipment is not cheap and it's not something we can turn over in a year or two." It is somewhat ironic, perhaps, but PDD's foray into overall campaign management has allowed it to mail less. Using such platforms as Exact Target and Adobe Campaign, the firm has de- veloped a multichannel effort that integrates e-mail, SMS messag- ing (aka "texting"), and print, based on conditions or rules that are set up and automated. "I may say I want to hit them three times in 10 days with an e-mail and if they don't reply, I send out a postcard." said Manade. "And it's an automated process." And if they do click on a link in an e-mail, that captures a variety of information. If they respond via a Web address, QR, PURL, or other type of code printed on a mail piece, that also captures im- portant information. It's all about the data. And now print direct mail can have all the tracking and analytics advantages of e-mail and other elec- tronic media. "Direct mail up to now has been 'Hey, we're here, call us if you need us,'" said Foszcz. "But with variable-data printing, now we can build in a PURL, we can build in a code, for each of the re- cipients of a direct mail piece. Bottom line is, you can now track direct mail. Precisely. By ZIP code, by city, by gender, by NAICS code... However you want to do it. Suddenly direct mail has ex- actly the same capabilities as e-mail." Getting Closer to the Client All this is well and good, but how savvy are print clients? "There are two camps that go hand-in-hand with the growth of inkjet," said Manade. "You have some who are very savvy and they know what [inkjet systems] are capable of and know what they want." The other camp, however, is vaguely aware of the technology but needs a lot of education, hand-holding, and data cleaning. "Some say, 'That variable-data stuff is all hogwash because end users still don't have what they need,'" said Foszcz. "The technol- ogy is far ahead of the end users right now. Either the data is not that good, or they don't quite know how they would effectively vary images, style, and content to maximize their response rates from direct mail." Indeed, one of the biggest barriers to effective variable-data deployment has been out-of-date, incomplete, or just plain bad data. As with any new—or even old—technology, customer educa- tion has been one of the most important elements. "We set up a program where we have some of our business development man- agers and our technical people go to people's sites and do semi- nars on campaign management," said Manade. "The seminars have been phenomenally successful. We expose [clients] to digital variable, and it really sets off light bulbs on how to use these inkjets to their limits. When you talk about inkjet and you relate it back to what's on their desktop then show them the industrial version, it's absolutely eye-opening." Traditional Challenges It bears mentioning that some traditional challenges remain, and one perennial concern of inkjet has been color quality and consistency. "Printers have concerns about print quality and color gamut," HP T400 With its width and its 600-foot/minute (183-meter/min- ute) speed, the HP T400 Color Inkjet Web Press prints up to 5,200 full-color, letter-size pages per minute. The T400 ofers high-quality imaging by reproducing sharp text and images as well as uniform area flls. New HP A50 process-color inks work with new HP A10 printheads, which use HP Scalable Printing Technology in a compact, 1,200-nozzles-per-inch printhead design. New, advanced web tension controls and dryer systems provide reliable, fast, and consistent productivity. MyPRINTResource.com/10240592 Screen Truepress Jet520ZZ With a top speed of 721.7 fpm (approximately 190,000 8.5 x 11-inch color pages per hour), the Truepress Jet520ZZ produces direct mail, books, magazines, and other high-volume work that traditionally has been printed ofset. The Truepress Jet520ZZ in- corporates Screen's drop-on-demand inkjet technology, color man- agement, patented screening algorithms, and stable paper transport system. The press ofers a maximum imaging resolution of 720 x 720 dpi. The grayscale printheads produce an apparent resolution of 1,440 dpi. The Truepress Jet520ZZ handles rolls of inkjet paper, standard paper, uncoated paper, and matte and gloss coated stock up to 22.4 inches wide. MyPRINTResource.com/10177548 (continued on page 21) QPsupp_13-16_0614 NextGen.indd 16 5/15/14 11:56 AM