© Bill Farquharson, Print Tec Network

One of the presentations I routinely give is called "Who's Making Money at Digital PrintingÖand How?" This article features several of the key points I make in that seminar. That doesn't mean you shouldn't come out and here it, though!

Success comes in threes. In real estate, the rules are location, location, location. In comedy, it's Moe, Larry, and Curly. In digital printing, profits come by following three simple lessons:

Rule #1: It's the file! Digital vendors get very excited about their equipment. The old marketing mantra of "We've got digital!" is a poor way to announce your digital capabilities, but that is the advice we are given. Printers who are new to digital send out fliers that boast the wrong message. They hold open houses featuring wine and cheese to showcase their iron. Sorry to let the air out of your balloon, but the truth about your digital printer is basic, cold, and raw: It's beige and it uses electricity. Focus not on the equipment in your marketing. Concentrate instead on your prowess of the digital file.

Rule #2: It's the file! You need to educate your market to understand how to submit digital files. Every month, hold Lunch and Learn seminars that teach around one of the popular digital software programs. It might be painful at first (one or two attendees), but in time the word will get around that your shop is where you go if you have a digital problem. Which phone call would you rather have: A. "Hi. I need some color copies made. What is your price?" or B. "Hi. You folks solved a problem a friend of mine was having with a Quark file and I have the same issue. Can I get some help?" One tire kicker is price shopping and will leave you for a quote that is a penny cheaper. The other recognizes your digital advantages and will be more willing to pay for your services AND stick around afterward to build some loyalty.

Rule #3: It's the file! You need to be technically superior to your competition. ANYONE can print it, but not everyone can make the digital file walk across the room. The future of this industry belongs to those printers who can achieve technical greatness. The concept is simple. Getting there is not. Find out what software programs are being used in your marketplace and learn them inside and out. Hire software experts who can work with your customers. Own the best and fastest computers and prepress equipment.

In every digital success story I have seen; at every profitable digital shop I have toured; the common denominator has not been the iron on the floor. With all due respect to the digital equipment manufacturers, the secret to success in this technology lies in the prepress department. Replacing "We've got digital!" with "We know Corel Draw!" is a quantum leap in thinking. The computer and the printer have been dating for years. Now that the marriage has taken place and is being consummated in the form of some spectacular digital devices, it is important to realize that the computer wears the pants in this family. Your comprehension of this phenomenon is essential to your future. If this statement makes sense, you are in good shape to achieve profits in digital printing. If not, you might want to skip to the back of the magazine and check out the classifieds. I hear there are some great deals on used cutters and folders.

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