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What You Need to Know About Variable Data Printing

As digital printers in Birmingham, we get a lot of questions about modern technologies that make printing easier and more efficient for businesses.


One thing we always tell our clients about is a powerful piece of technology called variable data printing.


Variable data printing is a form of digital printing that allows you to change elements of your document – whether it’s graphics, text, images, data, etc. – from one piece to the next piece during a printing process, without stopping the process or slowing it down.


Here, we’ll talk more about what capabilities variable data printing can offer your business when you’re looking for digital printers in Birmingham.


What is Variable Data Printing?

Imagine you have a database full of contacts that you’d like to receive a personalized letter for a direct mail campaign.


You want each letter to have a different name and address on it. The content of the letter will be the same. You need a way to print each letter with the right corresponding name and address, all using a central database file, without slowing down the process or having to stop and start printing every time you want to change the data.


That’s exactly what happened in the old days of printing. You would print a letter, stop, change the name and address, then print another letter, then stop, rinse, and repeat. This adds tremendous amounts of time to the process.


Fortunately, you can use variable data printing to quickly replace the name and address of each of these letters while they’re being printed in one continuous process.


Applications for Variable Data Printing

Variable data printing isn’t just for direct mail marketing. It can be used for any printing application that requires using external data to create customized, personalized pieces. If you have data in a file, and you need it printed, variable data printing is the right call.


This process is useful with:

• Direct mail marketing

• Advertising pieces

• Sales collateral

• Customer relationship management

• Invoicing

• Addressing brochures, postcards, or self-mailers


It can also be used for internal documents from complex organizations that share large amounts of information between departments.



Invoices are made possible with variable data printing at DMS Color


The Benefits of Variable Data Printing

The key benefit is personalization. All digital printers in Birmingham will tell you that personalizing your printed materials is incredibly powerful, especially for all customer-facing materials. This process becomes even more powerful when you know personal information about your customer. For example, if you know your target is a fan of a sports team, you can include an image of that sports team on the material – all done automatically, as a part of the process.


Another major benefit is how much faster your response time and rate will be. Furthermore, your printing process in general will be much faster, which saves time and money.


Additionally, variable data printing can be incorporated into email blasts, QR codes, landing pages, and more. It’s becoming more common to incorporating digital printing into all sales and marketing processes for an integrated material.


Turn to Digital Printers in Birmingham

As digital printers in Birmingham, we’re experienced in using variable data printing and other proven processes to help our clients get the materials they need in the most effective manner possible.


Contact us for more information on the processes we use to deliver high-quality digital printing at a competitive price.

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