Jun 5, 2007
Whether yours is a commercial print, direct mail or in-plant operation, having the most-appropriate production printer for your long-term requirements is critical. Production printers produce some of the same materials as office printers and printing presses, but they offer a combination of image quality, variable data printing, speed and cost-savings that the latter devices cannot match. In fact, production printers produce an ever widening range of jobs.
But production printing equipment is costly, with some buyers paying hundreds of thousands of dollars for the printer alone. Moreover, manufacturers are continuously improving their printers, dropping outdated or unpopular models while upgrading and adding others. Therefore, selecting the appropriate production printer for your long-term requirements --- and obtaining it at the best price possible --- is critical and complex. Even then, your work is not yet done; you must also ensure that your staff and facility are sufficiently prepared to ensure smooth operations of the new equipment.
However, many buyers fail to recognize that selecting, purchasing and implementing these complex devices must be approached as a continuum of dependent processes, requiring careful preparation. As a result, those buyers make decisions that may negatively affect the profitability of their printing operations. To ensure that your organization achieves the greatest benefits from your production printer acquisition, follow Gartner’s step-by-step guidance on each stage of this critical and complex activity.
The successful purchase of a production printer entails the following five main steps:
---Understand your market requirements
---Research various printers’ capabilities
---Issue a request for proposal (RFP)
---Negotiate the purchase
---Install and begin production
After helping Gartner clients work through the numerous details of this five-step process, one thing has become abundantly clear: Careful preparation is key. Your purchase will be affected by internal capital budgeting and departmental approval cycles; you want to avoid any unexpected delays that result from poor planning. Are you seeking a replacement printer? Or is the equipment needed for additional capacity? Have you landed a new account? Plan ahead because, depending on the manufacturer and its current sales, production printers will either be in stock or built to order. Whether the analysis is undertaken by a single person or a cross-functional team, methodical and comprehensive consideration of each of the five steps involved in selecting, procuring and integrating a production printer into your business operations lays the foundation for a successful implementation.
About Pete Basiliere
Pete Basiliere is Gartner’s research director for print markets and management, conducting research and providing insight on production print and mail systems and applications including best practices, market strategies and technology trends. Mr. Basiliere assists suppliers and end users with practical advice relating to Gartner's Automated Document Facility (ADF 2.0) and customer relationship management (CRM) printing concepts as well as production print and mail operations and security matters. He has spoken at numerous industry events including the On Demand Conference, the GATF Technology Alert Conference and Gartner’s Print and Imaging Summit.
Mr. Basiliere has 30 years of printing and direct mail experience in operations, engineering, customer service and purchasing management, having worked for Liberty Mutual Insurance Company, NEBS, PVA-EPVA, John Harland Company and others. The National Association for Print Leadership (NAPL) published his two books: Diversifying with Mail and Fulfillment Services: Unlocking Hidden Profit Potential and Successful Print Buying: A Guide to the Cost-Effective Procurement of Printing. Mr. Basiliere earned his bachelor’s degree at Bates College and master’s degree at The University of New Hampshire.