the future of transpromo mixes

According to Charlie Corr, group Director of  consulting firm InfoTrends, the "adoption of 'Transpromo' documents could transform the existing document landscape". In May 2006 InfoTrends announced the start of a major study into "The future of Direct Mail, Transaction Documents and Transpromotional Documents".

The facilities to print colour digital documents and variable data have been around for a long time, but until now we've never really had the technology, or the budget, to combine them in a cost effective manner. Traditionally, colour digital print  is very expensive, and is widely known as the least cost effective option for large volume print runs. So what has changed?

Equipment manufacturers have now addressed the issue of digital colour printing for the mass market... and the results have been astonishing. Production costs associated with digital colour printing can now be reduced by as much as 60-70 percent, which opens up the world of colour print to the masses. So if the technology is now available, what is the future of Transpromo?

Various recent studies have shown that, on average, a consumer will spend forty two and a half seconds reviewing a bill. Thats forty two and a half seconds you've got to grab a clients attention. Now, imagine your marketing material. Often a lot of time, money and the expertise of a graphic designer goes into producing a piece that is colourful and imaginative. Specifically designed to catch your clients eye and makes them want to buy more from your company. However the same studies show that two thirds of consumers rarely or never read the direct mail and leaflets that are included in thier bills. All that time, effort and, more importantly, money goes to waste.

So if consumers are spending an average of forty two and a half seconds reading thier bill, why not put thier bill on your piece of marketing material? That way, all your time and effort on promotion does not get wasted. This is the basic principal of Transpromo. It extends the boundries of variable black print on base stock and opens up the world of full colour graphics with guaranteed attention from the consumer. But that's not all.

The future of Transpromo also lies in what Kodak have labelled as a 'white paper philosophy'. Due to the reduced prices of digital colour printing, and the quality of print that is now achievable, it is possible to start your print run with nothing but white paper. No pre-printed base stock needed. All the elements of your document, including design, typography, layout, colour, personalised variable data and targeted marketing is all mixed together in the data centre. When it comes to the print run, white paper goes in, and your personalised colour Transpromo document comes out! Some of the benefits of this include:

> reduced cost associated with the production and storage of pre-printed stock
> flexibility in producing your documents with colour and dynamic variable data
> improved effectiveness of promotional marketing material
> reduced production time by combining all elements of production to the data centre
> reduced labour and staff costs
> the ability to add or removed graphics or promotions right upto the point of print