Digital Publishing and Printing

Are you in search of streamlined digital publishing and printing solutions?

Imagine the efficiency of printing a hard copy catalogue directly from your Product Information Management (PIM) system. This is the power of Pimcore in digital publishing and printing, and we're here to guide you through it.

 

Digital publishing and printing overview

While online platforms have undoubtedly become the dominant medium, print still holds a significant role in our markets and communities. Printed materials help your offerings stand out amidst a sea of digital messages. Printed catalogues remain a supporting part of contemporary ecommerce; customers still engage with your print collateral, even if you haven’t reached them through newsletters in a while. For print to be effective in today's digital landscape, it must align with current demands.

Digital publishing and digital printing have transformed the way content is created, distributed, and consumed. Digital publishing opens up new avenues for access and interactivity, while digital printing offers unparalleled flexibility and efficiency in producing a variety of printed materials. Together, they enable creators and businesses to swiftly respond to changing consumer needs and preferences in a fast-paced digital landscape.

 

Web to print services

With web to print services you can:

  • access a web-based platform that offers an intuitive interface for creating their catalogues. This usually includes templates and design tools that make it easy to customize layouts, text, and images.
  • select from a variety of pre-designed templates for catalogues, brochures, or other printed materials. These templates can often be fully customised to match your brand's identity and specific requirements.
  • upload your own content, such as product images, descriptions, pricing and other details. You can also choose from existing content stored in a Product Information Management (PIM) system, ensuring consistent and up-to-date information.
  • see real time previews as you make changes, they can view real-time previews of their catalogue, allowing you to see how the final product will look before completing it. This feature helps to catch any errors early in the process.
  • embed an approval workflow where users can share their designs with team members for feedback. This helps ensure that all the relevant parties approve the design before going to print.
  • place an order directly through the platform. The system automatically processes the order, calculating costs based on print specifications like paper type, size, and quantity.

By leveraging web-to-print technology, you can save time, reduce costs and ensure consistency across all your digital and printed materials while also offering those much sought after personalised experiences for their customers.

 

Still using print?

Companies should carefully consider the scope and frequency of their print materials, as the traditional catalogue as a reference tool is becoming less relevant. Today, print serves more as a valuable complement to online stores, sparking seasonal and occasion-based purchasing impulses. Ideally, businesses should curate their product offerings for individual customers, translating the online trend of personalised user experiences into their printed materials as well.

Contact Stimulus today to learn how our Catalogue Production and Web2Print solutions can save you time, cut costs and deliver exceptional results. Pimcore Web to Print Module can:

  • Add web2print support for generating PDFs to Pimcore.
  • Add new Pimcore-specific Document types to create print documents with Pimcore Documents (and all related concepts and features).
  • Allow creating single pages and whole catalogues with chapters, subchapters and table of contents.
  • Integrate different adapters to render documents to PDFs: Gotenberg, PDF reactor

We’ve seen companies can really benefit from web-to-print software. These tools enable you to synchronised products and offers across all channels, ensuring that pricing and product information remain consistent. An integrated all-in-one platform like Pimcore can be immensely beneficial in this regard. It centrally stores digital media and product information, which can then be displayed on websites and online stores through the content management system.

When the information in the Product Information Management (PIM) system is current and the publishing process is clearly defined, print can seamlessly serve as just another output channel.

 

What we love about digital publishing

Digital publishing refers to the distribution of content through digital means rather than traditional printed formats. It encompasses a wide range of content types, including e-books, online magazines, websites and blogs. Digital publishing means that your content can be accessed on various devices such as computers, tablets, and smartphones, making it widely available to users at any time and from anywhere.

Digital publications are worth considering for their cost-effectiveness and customisation capability. Digital publishing eliminates many costs associated with printing, distribution and paper supply and storage. It also allows for easy updates to content without the need for reprints. Content can be tailored to specific audiences or user preferences. Publishers can gather data on user behaviour and preferences to create targeted content and advertisements, ensuring a cost-effective approach to content creation and distribution.

Digital content can be created and published much faster than print material. Changes can be made in real time, allowing publishers to keep up with trends and timely information.

It's also great in terms of Corporate Social Responsibility, and where you have a commitment to environmental sustainability. Digital publishing reduces the use of paper and ink, contributing to more sustainable practices compared to traditional printing methods.

 

How to do digital printing

Digital printing is a modern printing method that utilises digital files (such as PDFs or image files) to produce printed materials directly onto various substrates. Unlike traditional printing methods like offset printing, which require physical plates, digital printing is more cost-effective for short print runs, as it eliminates the need for setup costs. This allows for small print runs and on-demand printing, reducing waste and inventory costs.

Digital printing allows for small print runs and on-demand printing, meaning materials can be produced as needed rather than in large quantities. This reduces waste and inventory costs. The printing process is faster for digital printing, allowing for quicker production times. Jobs can often be completed within hours or days instead of weeks, making it ideal for time-sensitive projects.

Advances in digital printing technology have led to high-quality output with vibrant colours and sharp details. It competes well with traditional printing methods in terms of quality. Digital printing also allows for high levels of customisation, such as variable data printing (VDP), where each copy can be different and you can create personalised marketing materials.

 

Combining PIM and printing

The media and publishing industry relies heavily on rich digital assets, well-structured metadata, and smooth multi-channel content distribution. However, so many Aussie businesses run into trouble with fragmented content repositories, inconsistent metadata, disconnected publishing workflows, and inefficient rights management. These issues can lead to production delays, content discrepancies and limited audience engagement which hurt marketing efforts considerably.

This is where Product Information Management (PIM) comes into play, revolutionising the media and publishing landscape. PIM brings together digital asset management, metadata governance, and omnichannel publishing, allowing media companies to centralise extensive content libraries, automate metadata tagging, manage rights and licenses, and distribute content effortlessly across web platforms, mobile devices, syndication channels and digital marketplaces, all from one cohesive platform.

Media companies encounter difficulties such as organising vast archives, maintaining metadata consistency across various platforms, and streamlining content syndication to maximise audience reach.

Pimcore's PXM solution is a one stop shop that integrates

  • Product Information Management (PIM)
  • Master Data Management (MDM)
  • Digital Asset Management (DAM)
  • Customer Data Platform (CDP)
  • Digital Experience Platform (DXP)
  • Digital Commerce

enabling efficient content workflows, real-time metadata management, and seamless publishing across multiple channels. Pimcore goes beyond being just a tool; it is the essential solution for eliminating inefficiencies, optimising content workflows, and scaling media operations toward a more agile, data-driven future.

 

Quick guide to digital and publishing and printing

It’s easier to do than you might think. All you need to do is:

  • Create a template using your preferred system or app
  • Compile print documents through your CMS
  • Convert your publications to .pdf for print and distribution
  • Optimise your content for featured snippets and knowledge panels by ensuring it is structured for easy comprehension and visibility by search engines

We've delivered some great outcomes for Aussie businesses with our web2print and catalogue services. QCC Hospitality came to Stimulus Australasia to design a catalogue to house almost 7,000 items. Read how we helped them here.

We handled a complex project for the distributors, a buying group with 40 members and 15,000 customers, to establish an easy-to-follow process for the distribution of promotional brochures and emails to on a monthly basis. The process had to be simple, cost-effective and efficient as they are a small team. Learn more about how our web to print service made life so much easier for the Distributors.

Contact Stimulus to discuss your print and publishing needs.

 

 

Related questions

How to convert views to sales in ecommerce?

With Pimcore, you have the capability to publishing beautiful and intuitive product catalogues on your website. These catalogues will capture users' attention and encourages them to spend more time reading and viewing. Your PIM catalogues can be paired with premium content, ecommerce options and subscription services.

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