Digital Storefronts and or web-to-print solutions

Started by DigiCorn, December 16, 2010, 04:08:46 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

DigiCorn

Quote from: gnubler on January 14, 2011, 12:20:56 PM$5500? I guess you're needing certain integrations that I don't. Here's Print Science's cost breakdown:

http://print-science.com/en/price-usna

I've figured that if we go with the annual subscription it'll cost about $176/mo with a one time $500 setup fee. I guess you're in love with Printlinqs, but I had to contact them 3 times to finally speak with someone and he sounded Canadian!  :laugh: Two hours ago they said they would email me more pricing info and I still haven't gotten anything.  :sleepy:

Like I said, the girl from Print-Science was all giggly and didn't seem like she took our account very seriously. She couldn't answer any technical questions, and everything else we asked, the answer was, "no." So anyway, I now have zero confidence that Print-Science could roll out our new campaign with any level of success. Here's PrintlinQs cost breakdown: http://www.printlinqs.com/programs2

Did you ask for Tim? He's "The Man."
"There's been a lot of research recently on how hard it is to dislodge an impression once it's been implanted in someone's mind. (This is why political attack ads don't have to be true to be effective. The other side can point out their inaccuracies, but the voter's mind privileges the memory of the original accusation, which was juicier than any counterargument ever could be.)"
― Johnny Carson

"Selling my soul would be a lot easier if I could just find it."
– Nikki Sixx

"Always do sober what you said you'd do drunk. That will teach you to keep your mouth shut."
― Ernest Hemingway

gnubler

Quote from: digital@sig-1.com on January 14, 2011, 12:26:13 PMLike I said, the girl from Print-Science was all giggly and didn't seem like she took our account very seriously. She couldn't answer any technical questions, and everything else we asked, the answer was, "no." So anyway, I now have zero confidence that Print-Science could roll out our new campaign with any level of success. Here's PrintlinQs cost breakdown: http://www.printlinqs.com/programs2

Did you ask for Tim? He's "The Man."

So you like men? Me too. Yes, I spoke with Tim, the Canadian. The one who still hasn't gotten that pricing info to me, but thanks for the link...that's all I really want.

I spoke with Brooke at Print Science also, there was no giggling and she did a demo for me of setting up a variable data template in Acrobat, seemed to know what she was doing. She was probably giggling in desperation at your long-winded questions and stories.
Hicks • Cross • Carlin • Kinison • Parker • Stone •  Colbert • Hedberg • Stanhope • Burr

"As much as I'd like your guns I prefer your buns." - The G

Quote from: pspdfppdfx on December 06, 2012, 05:03:51 PM
So,  :drunk3: i send the job to the rip with live transparecy (v 1.7 or whatever) and it craps out with a memory error.

Member #14 • Size 5 • PH8 Unit 7 • Paranoid Misanthropic Doomsayer • Printing & Drinking Since 1998 • doomed ©2011 david

DigiCorn

Strange. We are having the exact opposite experiences. It's almost like different dimensions. One of us must be evil.  :dev2:

It's me... I have the goatee.
"There's been a lot of research recently on how hard it is to dislodge an impression once it's been implanted in someone's mind. (This is why political attack ads don't have to be true to be effective. The other side can point out their inaccuracies, but the voter's mind privileges the memory of the original accusation, which was juicier than any counterargument ever could be.)"
― Johnny Carson

"Selling my soul would be a lot easier if I could just find it."
– Nikki Sixx

"Always do sober what you said you'd do drunk. That will teach you to keep your mouth shut."
― Ernest Hemingway

David

I think gnub has a gotee as well, so do I.

strange
Prepress guy - Retired - Working from home
Livin' la Vida Loca

born2print

Quote from: gnubler on January 14, 2011, 01:05:13 PM
Quote from: digital@sig-1.com on January 14, 2011, 12:26:13 PMLike I said, the girl from Print-Science was all giggly and didn't seem like she took our account very seriously. She couldn't answer any technical questions, and everything else we asked, the answer was, "no." So anyway, I now have zero confidence that Print-Science could roll out our new campaign with any level of success. Here's PrintlinQs cost breakdown: http://www.printlinqs.com/programs2

Did you ask for Tim? He's "The Man."

So you like men? Me too. Yes, I spoke with Tim, the Canadian. The one who still hasn't gotten that pricing info to me, but thanks for the link...that's all I really want.

I spoke with Brooke at Print Science also, there was no giggling and she did a demo for me of setting up a variable data template in Acrobat, seemed to know what she was doing. She was probably giggling in desperation at your long-winded questions and stories.
:quickdraw: With all these new emoticons, you'd think there would be one for "burn!"
How will I laugh tomorrow...
when I can't even smile today?

DigiCorn

"There's been a lot of research recently on how hard it is to dislodge an impression once it's been implanted in someone's mind. (This is why political attack ads don't have to be true to be effective. The other side can point out their inaccuracies, but the voter's mind privileges the memory of the original accusation, which was juicier than any counterargument ever could be.)"
― Johnny Carson

"Selling my soul would be a lot easier if I could just find it."
– Nikki Sixx

"Always do sober what you said you'd do drunk. That will teach you to keep your mouth shut."
― Ernest Hemingway

born2print

How will I laugh tomorrow...
when I can't even smile today?

Slappy

I think I'll follow your lead & look into these companies more closely. Our Owner suddenly came to us the other week & announce that if there was something better than Kodak out there (Translation: Cheaper than the raping they put on us) then he'd be open to switch. I've been trying to accomplish a fairly simple task in StoreFront for 3 days now, so I'm ready to look at other installs.

You say Printlinqs "plays well" with Prinergy etc. too? I'll be interested to hear your impressions when you get time.
A little diddie 'bout black 'n cyan...two reflective colors doin' the best they can.

DigiCorn

Quote from: Slappy on January 14, 2011, 03:36:14 PMI think I'll follow your lead & look into these companies more closely. Our Owner suddenly came to us the other week & announce that if there was something better than Kodak out there (Translation: Cheaper than the raping they put on us) then he'd be open to switch. I've been trying to accomplish a fairly simple task in StoreFront for 3 days now, so I'm ready to look at other installs.

You say Printlinqs "plays well" with Prinergy etc. too? I'll be interested to hear your impressions when you get time.
Well, Tim was very accommodating (the epitome of salespeople). I don't actually have Prinergy, but he did explain that his pdf maker creates files that work with all RIPs (makes them CMYK from whatever source).

If you have PitStop Server, you can tie in and have it preflight a customer pdf. Or the pdf maker generates a file and it accepts or rejects it (and forces the customer to fix it or make a decision) based on your criteria.

If you have Rampage (and this may also be true of Prinergy) you can create a hot folder which Rampage monitors and once a file is uploaded via the storefront, Rampage will process and generate a post-RIP pdf for nearly instant soft proofing (not clear on whether Printlinqs shows on screen in this application or if you need to email it yourself, but it sounded like Prinlinqs handles it).

They have web-integrated VDP using XMPie so a customer can upload or cut & paste a file directly on your web page and it will generate a soft proof almost instantly (whether you own XMPie or not), for business cards, postcards, etc.

I asked Print-Science (Brooke) about these features and the answer was always, 'I don't know' or 'no,' and never, 'I'll see if I can find out.' She sent me demo sites to check out, but they were just the same-old same-old and nothing had any bells or whistles. Sounds like the Gnub had a different experience - but the prices she quoted me and the prices she quoted Gnub are very different; maybe we're looking for different things?
"There's been a lot of research recently on how hard it is to dislodge an impression once it's been implanted in someone's mind. (This is why political attack ads don't have to be true to be effective. The other side can point out their inaccuracies, but the voter's mind privileges the memory of the original accusation, which was juicier than any counterargument ever could be.)"
― Johnny Carson

"Selling my soul would be a lot easier if I could just find it."
– Nikki Sixx

"Always do sober what you said you'd do drunk. That will teach you to keep your mouth shut."
― Ernest Hemingway

gnubler

I think we are looking for different things. I know you and I both work in small shops, but I just don't need the integration you're describing. Our workflow just isn't that heavy and is more suited toward receiving the random press-ready PDF from the w2p system (via manual download after getting an email notification). What we're setting it up for is one client in particular (a college) who does a ton of biz cards - it's a time waster for me to typeset them all and wait days for proof approval when it can all be done online in one go, ready to print.

As of 3pm Tim (Printlinqs) still didn't send the pricing info he said he'd send "right away". I've experienced much better service from Print Science. Last month I emailed them a question and someone called me within 15 minutes (maybe they were slow, but at least they're responding to a potential customer).

We have 3 clients we want to set up with a digital storefront. Printlinqs wants $1100 each to set them up, Print Science is $500 one time for unlimited storefronts. You can see the disparity here.

I also checked out Websites For Printers but their site templates are butt ugly, they nickel & dime you for customizations, and it seems like they have to do everything for you (for a charge) compared to Print Science, where you create & upload your own variable data PDF templates for the web2print process.
Hicks • Cross • Carlin • Kinison • Parker • Stone •  Colbert • Hedberg • Stanhope • Burr

"As much as I'd like your guns I prefer your buns." - The G

Quote from: pspdfppdfx on December 06, 2012, 05:03:51 PM
So,  :drunk3: i send the job to the rip with live transparecy (v 1.7 or whatever) and it craps out with a memory error.

Member #14 • Size 5 • PH8 Unit 7 • Paranoid Misanthropic Doomsayer • Printing & Drinking Since 1998 • doomed ©2011 david

t-pat

we have EFI digital storefronts. They really don't work very well. I can't tell you how many jobs a week I get that I have to "just add" this or that to whatever the customer typed in or couldn't type in because when the stores were set up they were slapped together without making things flexible enough to add someone's cellphone # or something that didn't fit the template.

Oh yeah, and the pdfs it makes can't be used in Prinergy. Some nonsense about Postscript Forms not being supported.
vdp donkey
gmc inspire • sarcasm while you wait

gnubler

That's one of my concerns with the online templates. These people who have ridiculously long job titles or a string of "credentials" after their name that kicks out the entire layout. From my understanding you can apply kerning OR h-scale OR font size adjustments to a line of text - one but not all. For the weirdos who can't make their data work within the confines of the template we'll still have to manually typeset a few jobs.
Hicks • Cross • Carlin • Kinison • Parker • Stone •  Colbert • Hedberg • Stanhope • Burr

"As much as I'd like your guns I prefer your buns." - The G

Quote from: pspdfppdfx on December 06, 2012, 05:03:51 PM
So,  :drunk3: i send the job to the rip with live transparecy (v 1.7 or whatever) and it craps out with a memory error.

Member #14 • Size 5 • PH8 Unit 7 • Paranoid Misanthropic Doomsayer • Printing & Drinking Since 1998 • doomed ©2011 david

gnubler

Quote from: david on January 14, 2011, 02:37:13 PMI think gnub has a gotee as well, so do I.

strange

And a patch. We're practically twins.

Hicks • Cross • Carlin • Kinison • Parker • Stone •  Colbert • Hedberg • Stanhope • Burr

"As much as I'd like your guns I prefer your buns." - The G

Quote from: pspdfppdfx on December 06, 2012, 05:03:51 PM
So,  :drunk3: i send the job to the rip with live transparecy (v 1.7 or whatever) and it craps out with a memory error.

Member #14 • Size 5 • PH8 Unit 7 • Paranoid Misanthropic Doomsayer • Printing & Drinking Since 1998 • doomed ©2011 david

David

damn, even my hair is the same color, we are twins!
and, I dream of sausage every now and again as well!

my brotha from a different motha!
weird!

 :banana:
Prepress guy - Retired - Working from home
Livin' la Vida Loca

gnubler

Hicks • Cross • Carlin • Kinison • Parker • Stone •  Colbert • Hedberg • Stanhope • Burr

"As much as I'd like your guns I prefer your buns." - The G

Quote from: pspdfppdfx on December 06, 2012, 05:03:51 PM
So,  :drunk3: i send the job to the rip with live transparecy (v 1.7 or whatever) and it craps out with a memory error.

Member #14 • Size 5 • PH8 Unit 7 • Paranoid Misanthropic Doomsayer • Printing & Drinking Since 1998 • doomed ©2011 david