Digital Storefronts and or web-to-print solutions

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

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DigiCorn

If I may, I just want to pick your brain for a minute.

We are exploring digital storefronts, and want to launch early in 2011. We are currently redesigning our website and want to integrate with ASI (with whom we are a member) for seamless framing of ad specialty products.

Currently we run EFI Print Smith and utilize EFI ColorProof XF, EFI Fiery for color digital and Rampage for offset sheetfed. I am just starting the research process, and have looked at Creo/Kodak InSite, Printable's MarcomCentral and EFI's Digital StoreFront. I think I have already eliminated InSite because it is too Kodak biased, but MarcomCentral seems interesting because I believe it will have a lower cost and more user control than EFI's Digital StoreFront.

I think we want to use our website to automate quoting, ordering, billing, digital printing (and VDP printing - we have Printable's FusionPro) and perhaps proofing.

We are a small 2-up shop (26" Komori) with 4 employees, and therefore not a lot of disposable cash to throw around.

Are any of you using anything like this on your company's website and if so, what do you use and why? Do you have any other recommendations or can you point out any issues or problems with your digital storefront? Maybe things we haven't explored or thought about here... the owner here would appreciate your feedback. Thank you!
"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've been researching the same thing for several months. I've also been asked to revamp our website and we need to include web2print & online ordering services as part of our contract with a big client. I also work for a smaller shop so we don't need anything high end. One service that I was looking into just yesterday is this one: http://print-science.com/en/price-usna

For our needs it would come out to around $1,800 per year which is less than what we're paying now for a similar setup.

I started another thread about this many months ago, I'll dig it up when I'm not feeling lazy.
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

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

Thanks for the list. I have begun to contact these sites and speak with people regarding web-to-print solutions. What is the focus of web-to-print as a solution for your shop going to be?

Primarily we are looking for integration with existing software, i.e. PrintSmith, Rampage and Fiery, which seems to me eliminates all but Printables and EFI. The sites for some of these web-to-print solutions just aren't selling me on their product, and it seems if it's not doing that, then their product doesn't work.

I am doing a demo with Print-Science this afternoon. Months ago I did EFI (who didn't take us seriously) and Printables (who have been bending over backwards to get our business). Based on initial cost structures, Printables seems like the best fit for what they offer. That, and only they and EFI (and Creo, who I eliminated) seem stable - these other guys are a little fly-by-night and seem to only provide the means for a customer to get you a press-ready pdf.
"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 spoke with one of the reps at Print-Science a couple days ago and they offered me the demo also but I wasn't in the mood at that time. I'm waiting to hear back from PrintlinQs regarding pricing - if they don't contact me today they're off the list.

I don't think we're after any integration at all. Our workflow is just not that heavy and the goal is to receive press-ready PDFs from the w2p process and just manually process them for plating. I'm a one-squirrel show here and almost never get backlogged. Boss is talking about bringing in another prepresser when we get the new press, but I really don't think that will be necessary.

We also have a few clients that reorder forms and such through our current website, so we need to have that service as well.

This all started when I mentioned to the owner that our current website is extremely ugly and he agreed. Why'd I get myself into this...
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

Printlinqs was $149/mo I believe (it's what I wrote in my notes). Their demo sucked except that they "provide leads in your area." All the demo sites were in Toronto or Hamilton; I doubt they get many Californians for their leads.
"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

Slappy

We have Kodak's StoreFront entirely because our Mgr who is in charge of these things has his entire head up Kodak's ass and won't even consider anything else. I won't take the time to list pros/cons but if you have any specific questions I'll be glad to answer.

It basically boils down to this: It's expensive & not as feature-rich as I understand other solutions to be.
A little diddie 'bout black 'n cyan...two reflective colors doin' the best they can.

DigiCorn

I had basically already eliminated Creo as an option; for starters, you had to buy their servers to sync everything. But why don't you tell me what you really think of Kodak?  :sarcasm:
"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

DigiCorn

While researching web-to-print solutions, I was checking our demo/testimonial websites. Is this how you want to promote your print shop (see picture)?
"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

That was prolly a desinger's idea of cutting edge design. You know, the ole "type over type use of the negative space" thingie.     :sarcasm:
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

ninjaPB_43

If they would have used Comic Sans I would have bought into it.
People will notice the change in your attitude towards them, but won't notice their behavior that made you change.  -Bob Marley

gnubler

Quote from: ninjaPB_43 on December 21, 2010, 12:47:26 PMIf they would have used Comic Sans I would have bought into it.

Agreed. It's hard to take something seriously if it's not set in Comic Sans.
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

Santa

#13
Quote from: gnubler on December 21, 2010, 12:11:29 PMThey should make the logo bigger.

"Absolutely it needs to be bigger but only left to right NOT top to bottom; and I don't want it distorted."  -true customer quote
 :banghead:

Captain_Type

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