AccuLink Announces Another Milestone

Tweet AccuLink announces another milestone with the first installation in the southeast of the HP Indigo 7000 7-color digital press. AccuLink bolsters its competitive advantage in the marketing communications and publishing fields by adding the high productivity of this new press to the existing Indigo, Heidelberg and Kodak fleet of digital printing presses. AccuLink’s multi-million dollar investment in digital imaging represents an ongoing commitment to on-demand and short-run book printing, personalized color direct mail, high-value transpromotional statement printing and other custom printing applications. AccuLink has consistently ranked in America’s top 100 trade printers since 1994.

The HP Indigo 7000 Digital Press, with its powerful combination of offset quality and productivity generates 120 letter size pages per minute in full color or 240 ppm in either monochrome or two colors. This press has an image format of 12.48" x 18.26", and the ability to run IndiChrome and/or PMS specific colors to match the most stringent corporate color matching requirements.

In keeping with AccuLink’s mission of being Chain of Custody certified by FSC and SFI, the HP Indigo 7000 Digital Press has many features that make it an excellent choice in being environmentally important to that mission as well as helping to reduce costs:

• Power consumption reduction of 25% per printed page (compared to other presses we looked at).
• An imaging oil recycling system, enabling us to have a reduction of approximately 50% in consumption and waste.
• Longer lifespan consumables result in the generation of fewer waste materials.

AccuLink’s mission is to continue to add value to customer communication solutions with superior service, technology and expertise, as well as being environmentally sound in our business practices. AccuLink has been at the forefront of innovative printing technologies since 1980, and are true pioneers in the advancement of integrating traditional printing services with the need for multichannel communications. AccuLink is recognized nationwide for its investments and leadership in the world of variable printing as well as many other capabilities. Through the addition of this new equipment, we hope to continue expanding our offerings to our clients and our distributor partners.

Selling “Print” in the “Digital” Age

Tweet Bringing today’s technology to your clients can be rewarding and profitable. Selling technology can be daunting and difficult due to many hurdles that must be overcome. If printers are to survive and succeed we must tackle this challenge. With everything in our industry becoming commoditized it is very difficult to maintain profitability selling print alone on such thin margins. Don’t just sell print. Sell solutions. Technology is the key.

Print is the necessary evil all business people must buy to communicate. The first challenge is to get beyond what they think they need based on their understanding of print. You must also get beyond their perception of your role in their business as a printer. You must become a communication solutions provider.

The next step is to introduce and help them understand how technology can cut some of their internal expenses associated with buying print or gain better ROI in a marketing campaign. With that you can justify a higher margin because what you offer is an overall better solution that achieves the goal. The question shouldn’t be “what print items do you need?” It should be “what are you trying to accomplish?” What obstacles are you encountering along the way?” these are the types of questions that can get you an entire body of business rather than just an order for business cards, forms or envelopes.

Probing questions help you to understand the client and gain a larger perspective on what benefit you may be able to offer them. Through this you are better prepared to recommend solutions to minimize their pain and achieve their goals more quickly. It is no longer just selling ink on paper. You must sell yourself as a knowledgeable, trustworthy business partner in fulfilling their business communication needs and objectives. Do this well and you will also succeed in your objectives.

Now for more about the technology part. Maybe you don’t feel you know enough about how to use it to help your clients. PURLS, Storefronts, QR Codes, oh my. Perhaps you feel a bit overwhelmed yourself. What do you do? You must educate yourself about Industry trends and new technologies constantly as these things are changing daily.

Relax though and remember, it is more important that you learn the benefits of these technologies than the details of how it all works. There are many great resources available to assist you with the details so you can sell the benefit and the print. One great place to start is this blog and our website www.acculink.com.

Embrace technology as the powerful tool it is. Be creative or look to those that are and learn from them. Learn all you can. Demonstrate the benefits to your clients of working smarter and more efficiently. The value you bring and the savings you show your customer in these new solutions allow you to increase your margins justifiably. You will no longer be selling commodities. You will be selling solutions.

R.O.I. Case Studies - Part 4

Tweet Today we bring you part four of a four-part series highlighting
successful cases from our portfolio of client work.

*********************************************
Utility Company Looks For Unique Inserting Solution:

Challenge: A utility company was kicking off a new logo and image campaign while offering accounting services to the city for collection of city services fees with the utility statements. Afraid that rising city fees would jeopardize the image of the utility, the utility service sought out a statement rendering service that could provide high quality printing services, statement processing, and separate invoice insertion for city residents that required both a city bill along with a utility bill.

Solution: AccuLink teamed up with the IT and marketing staff at the utility company to develop the most streamlined and affordable solution possible. A web-based interface for uploading daily transactions was created by AccuLink that includes soft proofing of actual statements prior to imaging. The city and utility statements have noticeably different printed shells and are inserted together based on individual customer data into a billing envelope. Specialized software, digital printing and intelligent inserting equipment all work together to process approximately 4,000 statements every morning before 11:00 am.

Result: The utility company has managed to keep its identity (and billing) separate from the city while still managing the accounting services. Non-city residents do not receive the inserts while city residents do. AccuLink also has enabled the utility company to add variable marketing messages to each statement as well as custom printed inserts when desired. With CASS presorting the utility pays the absolute lowest postage and has complete verification by the post office for daily transactions.

R.O.I. Case Studies - Part 3

Tweet Today we bring you part three of a four-part series highlighting
successful cases from our portfolio of client work.

*********************************************
Challenge: A large national retailer with 43,000 employees needed to distribute custom benefits packets to each employee announcing updated insurance enrollment information. The previous year the print provider had problems with improper inserts, lengthy delays and budget busting costs. The job consisted of variably printed booklets with perforated enclosures, custom statements and some generic booklets all inserted into 9x12 booklet envelopes. Inserting integrity was critical and all envelopes had to be presorted for maximum postage discount.

Solution: AccuLink utilized sheet-fed, digital and web offset equipment to produce the printed materials. Special software was incorporated to presort, map and barcode data on the variably printed sheets. Inserting equipment with intelligent barcode readers insured that each envelope received the correct inserts and all pieces were gathered in presort sequence to qualify for the lowest presort postage rates.

Result: 100% accuracy was maintained throughout the imaging and inserting process. The coordination of printing and mail inserting processes all in-house kept the production costs and time to a minimum. Print and postage savings amounted to over $10,000 and the project mailed 3 days ahead of schedule and three weeks faster than the previous year.

*********************************************
Tune in Tuesday for part 4: Utility Company Looks For Unique Inserting Solution.

*********************************************

R.O.I. Case Studies - Part 2

Tweet Today we bring you part two of a four-part series highlighting
successful cases from our portfolio of client work.

*********************************************

Consultant Focuses On Niche, Avoids Moving:

Challenge: A sales management consultant to the insurance and financial industries competes with national publishers by customizing his sales activity planner books with his customer’s unique training tools. Some large accounts have thousands of sales people in the field while others may have only hundreds. There are instances when the consultant needs to produce custom books “on-demand” in order to test market a new concept or impress a prospect. Selling over 40,000 planners in various editions and quantities grew to be a logistical nightmare for his small staff and limited space.

Solution: AccuLink coordinates all print production and distribution for the client, thereby leaving him free to focus on his strengths of designing and selling his services. With over 25 years in the printing industry AccuLink manages the printing, bindery and fulfillment services in the most efficient process possible. Longer runs get produced on large sheet fed presses while short runs print digitally as needed. All orders are linked via the internet to the customer’s accounting system, enabling the customer to track in real time the shipment of every order placed.

Result: The sales consultant avoided a costly move to a new warehouse office complex and significantly reduced the labor, time and turmoil associated with managing 40,000 orders. In addition to reducing inventories with “just in time” printing services, the client has reduced delivery time and shipping expenses by 1/2.


*********************************************
Tune in Monday for part 3: Large Employer Saves Time and Postage with Benefits Mailer.

*********************************************

R.O.I Case Studies - Part 1

Tweet Today we bring you part one of a four-part series highlighting successful cases from our portfolio of client work.

*********************************************

National Auto Part Franchise Turns Problems Into Profits:

Challenge: A nationwide auto parts retail franchisor identified wasteful inefficiencies in its attempts to supply franchisees with up to date business cards, stationery and promotional printed material from its in-hose printing facility and business card vendor. The franchisor wanted to turn the money losing operation into a profit center where all expenses and revenues could be accounted for.

Solution: AccuLink designed a web based e-commerce system where business cards are created, proofed, ordered and paid for on-line by individual franchisees. Each order results in a commission payment back to the franchisor as well as an accounting trail of the charge card transaction. Other corporate identification items (stationery) and marketing materials (flyers, brochures and POP displays) are included on the ordering site in pre-approved templates so franchisees can customize according to their individual locations under the confines of the franchisor’s marketing guidelines. Again all pricing is predetermined by the home office and revenues are accounted for and managed by the e-commerce system designed by AccuLink.

Result: Problems with inconsistent quality have been eliminated. Delivery time on critical promotional materials has been reduced from weeks to next day service on most items. Unaccounted costs and wasteful overhead has been replaced by detailed monthly activity summaries, instant secure charge card payments and profitable royalty payments on every order.

*********************************************
Tune in tomorrow for part 2: Consultant Focuses On Niche, Avoids Moving.

Small is the new BIG

Tweet Rethink how you link to your customers. Small is the new BIG. One small code can contain so much more than meets the eye! Two dimensional bar codes are an old technology that’s finding new purpose in mobile communication. As we watch the trends, we take technology, reinvent it and in the process, keep you one step ahead of the competition. Click on the following link “Get QR Software” and you will be taken to the FREE reader download site. (You can access the same link from your cell phone as well.) Download this free software to your phone by following the on-screen instructions. Now launch the reader on your cell phone, point your mobile camera at the desired two dimensional bar code and the content will be instantly delivered to your phone in a matter of seconds. It’s that easy!

In order to better understand how we have advanced the functionality of QR Codes, we want to start with a brief history of the code’s origins. QR-Codes are a two dimensional barcode that is designed to have its contents decoded at a high speed, allowing for accuracy in link recognition and convenient functionality. The acronym QR is derived from the term Quick Response. QR Codes were created by the Japanese company Denso Wave in 1994 as a way to track parts in vehicle manufacturing. Other industries began seeing how useful they were and started adapting the technology for their own use. From that point, mobile phone companies saw the potential in this technology and came up with QR code readers so that cell phone users could read these codes right from their phones.

Two dimensional bar codes have come a long way from their original usage in vehicle manufacturing. They are now starting to be used in convenience-oriented applications aimed at mobile phone users (known as mobile tagging). Two dimensional bar codes storing addresses and URLs have appeared in magazines, on signs, business cards, billboards, even coffee mugs and t-shirts - just about any object that your customer might need information about. Users with a camera phone equipped with the correct reader software can capture the image of the two dimensional bar code and link instantly to a programmed URL. This URL can be a web address, a link to download an MP3, dial a telephone number, or auto-fill your email client with a sender address. Two dimensional bar codes are only as effective as their underlying application. How do I generate unique, application specific two dimensional bar codes? Where does the two dimensional bar code link take me? How do I manage what's at the other end of that link? Who actually responded by using the two dimensional bar codes? At AccuLink, we have the answers to these questions and more.

Did you know there are more mobile phones than TVs and computers combined in the US today? Gives a whole new meaning to personalized customer interaction!

To see our latest ad in the September '09 issue of Print Solutions magazine, click on the following link:

Print Solutions ’09 AccuLink Ad

QR Code Usage in Japan

Tweet Content in this blog article is reposted courtesy of Cliffano Subagio. To see photos of the QR Codes he references, link to his original blog, shown at the end of the article.

**********************************************

Some of my friends must’ve been tired listening to my constant complaining about how slow it is for Australia to adopt QR Code usage. QR Code is what I believe to be the link between print media and the web. And contrary to popular belief, I think print media is not going to die anytime soon.

I spotted the first QR Code in Melbourne in July last year. Telstra has been campaigning the use of QR Code, mostly on their products and ads. There have been few magazines using QR Code to link to some pages on their own sites. I’m predicting that this technology will become much more mainstream in Australia within the next 2-3 years, providing steady adoption of smart phones with QR Code support.

During my trip to Japan few months ago, I was amazed to find out that QR Code was used everywhere (not literally _everywhere_ of course). I started taking pictures and videos of those QR Codes to the amusement of the locals, something that’s very common to them was very new to me.

On one morning, I was walking to Ikebukuro Station via the underground pass, and I noticed a new Disney poster on the wall. Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, and Stitch. The eyes and noses of each character are still visible within the QR Codes. I saw passers by stopping in front of the poster, scanning the codes using their mobile phones. It was so weird for me, but I’m sure, again, it’s very common to them. At that point, I wondered if I would see a similar scene in Melbourne within the next few years.

McDonald’s placed QR Codes on the soft drink cup, burger wrapper, and paper bag amongst other things. I also found QR Codes on snack food packaging, a building guide, a T-shirt tag, and a poster at a mall.

Ever thought that one day you would see a large garble of black and white dots just so you can scan it with your mobile phone? Or on a magazine. These are only a few examples where QR Codes were used as links to web pages, but bear in mind that it can be used for many things other than for storing URLs, like nutritional info of a sandwich. I’m excited to see more uses of QR Code in Australia. Who knows, maybe someday I’ll see one on a coffee cup at a cafe in Melbourne.

Courtesy of http://blog.cliffano.com/2009/05/18/qr-code-usage-in-japan/


******************************************

Advantages of QR Codes
Capacity
Unlike barcodes with information only in one direction, the QR Code is a two-dimensional code with information stored on the vertical and horizontal direction. As a result, the QR Code can hold up to 7089 Numeric data, 4296 Alphanumeric data, and 2953 Binary data. Compared to barcodes that can only hold approximately 20 digits, the QR Code is far superior to the traditional barcodes.

Footprint
QR Codes can hold the same amount of information as traditional bar codes but in one-tenth of the space it takes for barcodes. For an even smaller printout size, there are Micro QR Codes available. The symbol size ranges from 21×21 (Version 1) to 177×177 (Version 40) and grows by 4 modules/side. Dirt and Damage Resistant QR Codes can be restored even if the symbol is damaged or dirty. Up to a maximum of 30% of the data can be restored.

Readability
QR Codes can be read in any direction thanks to the position detection patterns. These patterns are located on three corners of the symbol and it helps reduce background interference. In addition, a single QR Code can be divided into multiple data areas then reconstructed as a single symbol when needed. This allows the user to print up to 16 symbols in a more narrow printing area.

Standardization and Use
On June 2000, The QR Code standardization received approval from ISO International. The QR Code System can be generated using QR Code Printers and software to generate the code. There are scanners that are designed for a variety of applications. Cellular phones are the most common form of QR Code scanners used in Asia as teens capture QR Code information from posters of their favourite Rock Star’s upcoming concert to advertisements on the Subway. The uses for QR Codes are limitless, groceries stores print it on their receipts, marketers print it on their ads to increase interest, and stores print it in their ads to generate maps and hours of operations.

Disclaimer: Information used for the blog post was drawn from the website http://www.qrcode.com/ developed by Denso Wave. Please visit their site for more information.

Print is not dead

Tweet At AccuLink, we have been busy positioning ourselves deeper into our accounts with technology and more sophisticated marketing services. A few years ago we took a long hard look at our strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and overall business strategy and what we could do help existing clients as well as bring in new business. A visit to our recently updated web site (www.acculink.com) indicates the areas that we feel make us unique and point to our greatest value offering. We still deliver a powerhouse of manufacturing (print, bind, and mail) capabilities but the magic is how we weave our technology and marketing expertise into the solution. Print is not dead. Traditional commercial printing has been commoditized but print is still a VERY effective communication tool when delivered appropriately.

We paid attention to the speakers at the PSDA technology events and headed their warnings and forecasts. One exciting area that links print with the internet and smart phones is QR Codes. We will be speaking about this at the PSDA Print Solutions Expo in Chicago on Thursday, October 15 @ 11:30. This technology will excite marketers who are interested in reaching a new generation of customers. QR Codes require print but also deliver integration with the web and metrics. We think this is pretty amazing technology.

We are not burying our heads in the sand. Instead we have hired several new key technology oriented individuals, acquired significant new software, and recently added an additional Indigo (our new Indigo 7000 is first and only installation in the southeast) to our digital print division. We are seeing continued demand for our highly personalized mailings, statement rendering and print on demand storefront releases. And we are doing all this in spite of a sales decline (of our own) of over 25% in traditional print.

Another cool application we have brought to our business card offering is the ability to print a QR code to a business card such that a simple click of a cell phone camera will load the card holder’s profile directly to the cell phone’s vCard. Now THAT is cool! Any other “traditional” business card is now obsolete!

Want to generate NEW sales? Give us a call or email us. We’d be happy to discuss these offerings in greater detail.

Is the glass half empty or half full?

Tweet According to Wikipedia:

Is the glass half empty or half full? is a common expression, used rhetorically to indicate that a particular situation could be a cause for optimism (half full) or pessimism (half empty); or as a general litmus test to simply determine if an individual is an optimist or a pessimist. The purpose of the question is to demonstrate that the situation may be seen in different ways depending on one's point of view and that there may be opportunity in the situation as well as trouble. This idiom is used to explain how people perceive events and objects. Perception is unique to every individual and is simply one's interpretation of reality.

I mention this today as I look around me and see how the economy is taking its toll on everything. Businesses everywhere closing their doors, filing for bankruptcy, letting staff go. Families cutting back on spending, vacations, groceries. The cost of things going up and the means by which one pays for them is going down. Many of our fellow printers have closed their doors or merged with other companies. I have witnessed business associates struggle to find new direction amidst all the unknown.

Sitting here, thinking about these things, I found myself reflecting back on advice I recently gave to a friend of mine...the glass is half full. Perhaps I am being naive or not looking at the forest through the trees. But it bears heavy on one's soul to worry day after day, about things which may be beyond one's control. I often try to see the positive side of things, looking for the silver lining so to speak. Yes, the economy is rough right now, but I have a good job, family and friends and I have my health. When things get tough, I just try harder.

My philosophy is simple: the time spent worrying and complaining about what isn't happening can be better spent making something happen. I choose to believe the glass is half full, full of things I have done and room for the things I will do. And here at AccuLink we follow that philosophy – thinking up new ways to grow our business and expand our offerings – finding opportunities to fill the other half of the glass. I often think of this quote by Abraham Lincoln: Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any one thing. We have an obligation to our customers, our partners, and our employees and we will keep on trying harder, never giving up.

How do you see it? Half full or half empty?

The power, the benefits, and the effectiveness of VDP

Tweet

We work with many different types of clients – distributor partners, advertising agencies and customers who have worked with us for years as well as new ones we are forming relationships with. We have been given many opportunities to work with these clients on variable data publishing campaigns and often get asked about our rationale behind why we find value in these types of communications offerings. This can be summed up in three main categories – the power, the benefits, and the effectiveness of VDP:

The Power of VDP
· Design and production of customized messages is no longer time- and cost-prohibitive
· An exciting convergence of databases, digital publishing tools and digital output
· Resonates and motivates recipient to take action

Benefits of VDP
· More effective and profitable communications
· A value-added service
· Allows you to differentiate yourself
· Create long-term strategic partners
· An advantage in highly competitive environments

Effectiveness of VDP
· Raises response rates (36% over traditional campaigns)
· Increases customer purchases per transaction
· Increases customer retention
· Increased ROI on marketing investment

Through this rationale, we have been able to help our customers get their message across in new and exciting ways. Just another way ‘we put it all together’!

Don’t sell PURLs!

Tweet This discussion is directed to anyone who thinks they are in a position to “wow” their prospect with an offer to increase results with increased response rates generated by the introduction of personalized URLs (PURLs) in their next campaign. Though the technology is nothing new, we are seeing a greater interest in this service as more publicity of its merits is exposed. For purely selfish reasons the time has come for me to offer these folks my advice…“Don’t sell PURLs”!

You see, at AccuLink we specialize in highly personalized communications and I find myself spending a lot of my time educating others about the benefit of PURLs and how they fit inside a well thought out campaign. Many of my customers are value added resellers who want desperately to be the first to introduce their customers to this new technology. Crazy as it may sound, I find myself discouraging them from selling PURLs more often than not. Let me explain with a simple analogy.

We all know that baseball, like any competitive sport, involves much more than luck to win consistently throughout a season. Championship teams begin with strong coaching, hard work, talented players, thoughtful execution, good timing and practice, practice, practice to name a few. Now in the game of business I equate a PURL with a catcher’s mitt. The ball is the data and all the other aspects of the game are no different than the considerations one must consider in a marketing campaign. Examples of those ingredients include data research, strategic objectives, target audience, relevant messages, powerful incentives, strong call to action, appealing design, timing, ample budget, testing, and follow up (the list can go on).
My intention here is to point out that a salesman is misguided if he focuses on selling a team owner on the idea that a catcher’s mitt product will bring that team a championship trophy. I would argue he may sell his product once but he is risking that relationship if he does not address the other ingredients to the team’s potential victory. A successful marketing campaign is no different.

The moral of the story is to understand where a PURL resides in a campaign. Focus on ALL the ingredients and when you get to the point in a discussion where your client agrees that there is a need to capture more information within the campaign than you started with…well THAT is when the PURL discussion begins and it will sell itself!

Chain of Custody Certification

Tweet AccuLink is committed to being a good corporate citizen and this means doing business and operating in an ethical and responsible manner while providing good value to our customers. In recent years, our management team has become increasingly aware of the threats to the well managed forests of the world and thus the supply of the paper we need. The best way to ensure responsible forest management is to encourage and support the foresters who manage their forests by the highest environmental, social, and economic standards.

The three certifying bodies that set these high standards are the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI), and the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC). To do our part in encouraging these practices, we have become chain of custody certified by all three of these bodies so that we can offer products to our customers that are certified.

We know there is much confusion in the marketplace regarding this topic and hope to answer a few of those questions.

FAQ's about FSC, SFI, PEFC and PCRC

What is FSC?
The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is an independent, non-governmental, non-profit organization established to promote the responsible management of the world’s forests. It provides standard setting, trademark assurance and accreditation services for companies and organizations interested in responsible forestry. Products carrying the FSC label are independently certified to assure consumers that they come from forests that are managed to meet the social, economic and ecological needs of present and future generations. http://www.fsc.org/about-fsc.html

What is SFI?
The Sustainable Forestry Initiative® (SFI) program is based on the premise that responsible environmental behavior and sound business decisions can co-exist. SFI program participants practice sustainable forestry on all the lands they manage. They also influence millions of additional acres through the training of loggers and foresters in best management practices and landowner outreach programs. This unique commitment to sustainable forestry recognizes that all forest landowners, not just SFI program participants, play a critical role in ensuring the long-term health and sustainability of our forests. http://www.sfiprogram.org/

What is PEFC?
The PEFC Council (Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification schemes) is an independent, non-profit, non-governmental organization, founded in 1999, which promotes sustainably managed forests through independent third party certification. The PEFC provides an assurance mechanism to purchasers of wood and paper products that they are promoting the sustainable management of forests. PEFC is a global umbrella organization for the assessment of and mutual recognition of national forest certification schemes developed in a multi-stakeholder process. The other national members’ schemes are at various stages of development and are working towards mutual recognition under the PEFC processes. http://www.pefc.org/internet/html/about_pefc.htm

What is PCRF?
PCRF (Post Consumer Recycled Fiber) also referred to as PCRC (Post Consumer Recycled Content), is the amount of recycled material from reclamation centers that has been repurposed into usable paper product. It is commonly found in low quantities, around 10%, but can be specifically manufactured for certain applications in quantities between 30% and 100%.

How does it work?
There is a chain-of-custody (CoC) that must be certified in order to buy and resell a certified product. That CoC extends back through every converter; paper merchant and mill back to the source forest where the paper initiated. In other words, every company that touched that product before the end user buys it was certified to continue the CoC. An independent audit is required for all FSC or SFI certifications. These audits are rigorous, on-the-ground assessments of an organization’s operations conducted by highly qualified and accredited auditors.

Go to http://www.accreditation-services.com/CertificationBodies.htm to find out more or call AccuLink @ 800-948-4110 to learn how you too can participate in this important initiative!