Print Infrastructure In An ECM Environment: An Interview With Océ's Bob Raus
Written by Brian Sherman
Being able to easily and quickly print documents in everyday life has relegated printing to consideration only when there is a malfunction, paper jam, cable disconnection, or an empty paper feed tray. But printers are an important component of ECM, crucial for every business to complete the information delivery or initiation process. Without the ability to print contracts, statements, invoices, and bills (to name a few types of critical documents), the global economy would be severely crippled. If you don't believe me, ask FedEx, UPS, DHL, and other courier services. Far more paper is shipped every day via these services than anything else.
While the software and technology improvements in scanning have been driven by both business and regulatory demand, the need for an adaptable and highly automated print infrastructure is emerging in ECM with end users' management support. C-level executives are always looking for possible cost reductions, while IT managers seek ways to increase the number of projects completed without adding staff.
Why should the ECM community care? Bob Raus of Océ North America's Digital Document Systems Division will author a series of articles on print infrastructure management explaining why ECM Connection readers should want to know more. I recently talked with Bob about the fundamentals of print infrastructure technology, the benefits of implementing it in your corporate ECM system, and what he wants to include in his upcoming editorial.
Brian: When many people think of printing, visions of the office or home inkjet printer come to mind. Is this what print infrastructure involves and what your articles will focus on?
Bob: Let me start by asking: when was the last time your IT staff was bored and did not have enough to do? The theme of my series will be building and leveraging a print infrastructure within a corporate business environment, linking currently separated legacy systems and departments to deliver efficiency and cost savings. The three major areas of my discussion will include the data center, office, and in-house print shop – or CRD (corporate reprographics department).
Building a print infrastructure is a way for the IT manager to be a hero, because its implementation could enable the completion of additional technology projects while keeping IT staffing constant. The idea of an architected print infrastructure goes beyond printing to all aspects of document creation, management, distribution, and archiving. There are a multitude of documents being received and distributed, from sales proposals to outbound direct mail and statements. This is still how business really gets done. Electronic signatures have not been readily adopted by most businesses, so business remains a paper-driven process. Contract development still requires the generation of the agreement document, running it by the legal department, printing it, and having it signed by the appropriate personnel.
I find that companies still view documents as items to e-mail, print, and fax, when they are actually critical factors in business success or failure. A well-designed print infrastructure goes beyond basic printing to cover all aspects of document creation, management, distribution, and archiving. However, when a document is eventually printed, that physical piece of paper is what is signed and creates the business transaction.
Inkjet printers and print drivers will not be the focus of my articles. I will discuss the idea of building the print infrastructure to increase cost efficiencies in systems that are currently separated by legacy databases, client servers, and departments. Some of the savings happen when the system automatically routes a document from your desktop or your in-house print shop to the most appropriate and available device. If this is accomplished with a universal print driver that can be loaded once and supports every device, whether it's a desktop inkjet printer, black and white multifunction device, or full-color printer, the IT group can save significant time. The staff does not have to physically install drivers at each workstation. Companies benefit from a major reduction in help desk calls and the associated costs.
How can a print infrastructure support any manufacturer's print device? You manage the print server, not each printer. You enable new devices at the server, making them instantly available to every user who has been granted permission to access them. The next time the driver accesses the server, it recognizes it and understands the new capabilities now available, such as new paper sizes, duplex, stapling, three-hole punch, tabs, scanning, and other functions. The IT staff manages the server that the new universal driver accesses, instead of many separate workstations. My stories will be touching on the three major corporate environments, including the mainframe-centric data center, the networked office (PCs), and the print shop (CRD).
Brian: With all of the electronic means for distributing information these days, is the prediction of a paperless office coming to fruition?
Bob: How many people today print their e-mail before reading it in your office? In the early 90s we all heard about the looming paperless office where everything would be communicated electronically, but print is still extremely relevant. According to the InfoTrends/CAPV U.S. Print Market Forecast 2003-2008, total print volume for print devices of more than 80 pages per minute will grow from 226.8 billion impressions in 2003 to 334.5 billion impressions in 2008. That's quite the opposite of those early predictions.
Electronic distribution of information (like e-mail) can be viewed as spam and increasingly, items with attachments are being blocked for fear of viruses. With stronger filtering and spam blockers, and by just not opening suspect e-mail messages, you can avoid communication from those you don't know or care about. In my opinion, marketing by your company's e-mail or Web is becoming useless because spam filters can be set high to block ads, pop-ups, and sales pitches. Traditional paper mail comes to your house every day and is typically opened. There are reasons that not everything coming from your IT system has to be electronic. I'm expecting this to be a healthy topic of discussion, and I will present some examples in future articles where print does, and does not, make sense.
Electronic books provide a great example of this dichotomy. People have not readily adopted reading books on their Palm Pilot or PC, whether it's due to eye fatigue, inconvenience, or comfort. It is also rare when you don't receive a print handout at conferences or meetings, for notes and to follow along with the discussion. PCs just haven't become convenient for these applications.
Brian: Readers of ECM Connection use content management systems, databases, Web sites, scanning, archiving, and other electronic methods of capturing and managing information. Many of our readers may consider printing as low-tech, so why should it matter to them?
Bob: A recent study shows that up to 40% of IT help desk calls are related to printing issues. Printing, scanning, archiving, faxing, and document management are an integral part of the IT department's area of responsibility. Most of the help desk calls involve drivers, including the addition of new printers, scanners, and multifunction devices, and accessing other ones in the office by desktop users. The need to run around and upload, download, reboot, and configure drivers and settings disappears if you are using the right print infrastructure software and model. How would you like to recover some of these IT resources to put on those projects you've wanted to do? Print infrastructure management allows companies to do more without increasing IT staffing.
As I mentioned earlier, variable data printing leverages stored data and conditional processing routines to build completely personalized printed pieces for each recipient. Printing is a component of most companies' IT departments, as well as data, systems, and Web site management. When you need to produce marketing collateral and create personalized documents (bills are almost 100% variable data), print infrastructure can help you accomplish greater efficiencies and opportunities. When marketing a product and doing direct e-mail, a common goal is to have your content management system build a personalized Web page. Imagine you are an insurance agent with customers at all stages of life (young families, retired individuals). How would you like to have a document in a direct mail campaign that automatically picks the appropriate picture, coupon, or tagline to entice the customer to call you based on certain conditional processing of your database? For example, you are sending a direct mail piece to a couple that just had a baby. You can include congratulations on their new baby boy and encouraging text on parenthood, and remind them that, before they know it, the baby will be going off to college. The document will include a family-specific picture that best represents the recipient based on the relational database, such as race, gender, or even hobbies of that individual or group. You can customize both the document illustration and text to the proper recipient using variable data. Various static images, logos, pictures, and other graphic elements stored in document management archives can all be used to build corresponding personalized printed documents for marketing, college admissions, corporate human resources, and other communications materials.
Digital printing varies significantly from offset printing. Digital printing can generate data-driven graphics, such as the pie charts that show your specific portfolio percentages or quarterly Social Security updates. You can include bar graphs that project growth and decline based on text data available at the time.
Brian: What is the goal for your print infrastructure series that will kick off next week on the ECM Connection Web site and newsletter?
Bob: I want to initiate a forum where questions related to output management, accounting (relating to print infrastructure), and document management-related topics can be discussed and debated. (These will be answered by Bob via e-mail and possibly addressed in future articles.) I also want to learn what document issues are on the minds of readers of ECM Connection.
Brian: Should print infrastructure be a major concern to any specific industries?
Bob: I struggle to think of an organization or industry that it shouldn't be a concern for. The IT department benefits from having a more efficient computer system. If you free up resources by automating processes or reducing the effort required to maintain and manage things, everyone in the organization would benefit. The marketing department receives value with the production of personalized documents, refined targeted mailings that create relevance, and enhanced campaigns, such as inclusion with a monthly invoice or statement.
Brian: So, we've covered today's technology, but what about future print infrastructure opportunities and technology?
Bob: One new technology is interconnectivity API (application programming interface), which allows different products from different manufacturers to be easily integrated. API includes a set of routines, protocols, and tools, for building software applications. One of the other innovative technologies, JDF (job definition format) is being marketed and sponsored by Adobe. There is debate as to whether it will be functional and simplified in a plug and play format, but keep an eye on how this develops. Based on a special form of XML (extensible markup language), it is nonproprietary and can link and refer files to multiple production devices. JDF allows the user to explain the intention of a printed material, and the process required to accomplish its construction.
Brian: Do you have any final comments on print infrastructure?
Bob: We should look at print as an extension of ECM and content management systems. The idea is that if you have data, its remains just that until it becomes part of a document, Web site, or direct mail piece. Simplifying the lives of your customers and saving money by changing your company's printing process are just some of the opportunities in print infrastructure management.
Brian Sherman is chief editor of ECM Connection and Data Storage Connection