Every Digital Dish features stories, tips, or tricks from digital experts. This month, we’re hearing from Jeremy Hayes, President of Active Graphics. The Chicago-area print services provider has invested in both offset and digital presses in order to meet customer needs. Jeremy shared with us the factors that go into his team’s decision making when considering which technology to use for a given project.
IT’S NO LONGER OFFSET VS. DIGITAL
Jeremy says one of the top drivers when choosing between offset and digital is quantity. For large corporate clients where print runs are in the thousands and sometimes in the millions, offset makes more sense. But for small quantity or quick-turn jobs, “the only way to physically make that happen is to print digitally.” When a customer needs 500 pieces printed by tomorrow, Active Graphics relies on their HP Indigo 7900 to get the job done fast.
“Digital was so inconsistent when it was new,” Jeremy says. “But today, it can be really helpful to get a project out fast — and without some of the quality issues we saw early on.”
ACHIEVING BRAND CONSISTENCY
One of Active’s biggest customers is a well-known hotel chain, and Active does all their printing, from keycard sleeves and luggage tags to brochures and loyalty program mailers. For clients like this, they use a mix of offset and digital, taking care to ensure the client’s brand remains consistent. This involves communication and education around color matching, Jeremy explains. “When this particular customer went through a rebrand, we were a part of building the CMYK value for their brand colors based on our presses.”
PAPER CHOICE IS KEY
“Paper is always a big part of the conversation,” Jeremy says. When printing on uncoated stock on a digital press, he points out, the end result is often the same quality whether you choose an expensive sheet or a more economical one. “You can save a lot of money with a sheet like Accent.”
Active Graphics has several customers in the hospitality industry, and for these luxury brands, quality is paramount. Delivering on customer expectations is easier now than ever before, thanks to the flexibility of digital printing and paper options like Accent® Opaque, which is a premium sheet without the price.
SYLVAMO'S DIGITAL PORTFOLIO ONLINE
Active Graphics helps their customers save on paper without sacrificing quality with the help of Accent Opaque. Find the perfect paper for your next digital print job at accentopaque.com!
