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Ray Weiss, Digital Imaging Specialist, SGIA

When you think of digital wide-format printing, you don’t typically think of incorporating variable data.

When you think of digital wide-format printing, you don’t typically think of incorporating variable data. For one-off projects, variable data just doesn’t enter the equation. However, with the blurring of lines with who is doing what — commercial offset shops bringing in wide-format equipment, traditional sign shops bringing in digital equipment (be it for printing labels or copiers) — the use of variable data printing (VDP) can, and does, enter into new arenas.

Jerseys and MoreI spoke with Ryan Lee, National Sales Manager with Wasatch* about their VDP product and how he sees customers using this option. The first thing that came to mind was using variable data for sports jerseys — names and numbers. Using a template to place fields, you can define fonts and colors, and then allow the RIP

software to manage the data. When you have an entire team or school to outfit, variable data printing allows you to easily automate the task of matching up names with numbers on each jersey.

The next application for VDP that came up was label printing. VDP gives the printer the ability to sequentially number the labels, add custom barcodes or QR codes when needed, and to customize them further with graphics and information that change based on the needs of the customer. Think of a small brewery that has the need for many versions of labels to cover their varying product line. Setting it up as a variable data job that will marry the graphics, product information and any barcodes needed makes for a more efficient use of your time and equipment.

In the case of Wasatch and their SoftRIP product, the software can handle up to 20,000 pieces of data, in a job, and

Variable Data Printing (VDP)

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6 | S G I A J o u r n a l ■ J u l y / A u g u s t 2 0 1 7 V i s i t S G I A a t S G I A . o r g

typically the run length of a label job can be anywhere from 500 to 5,000 pieces. To be fair, most RIP software offer some type of variable data option, from simple template design with data and graphics fields, to more sophisticated barcoding and sequential numbering within the RIP.

Versioning for Foreign LanguageWhen I spoke with Steve Fournier with Agfa Graphics*, he noted that he runs into variable data printing mostly with sequential numbering — think of A1, A2, through A9, and then it advances to B1, B2, etc. He also sees it with regional versioning of products. His example was graphics printed in Canada that require English and French language versions for the same printed piece.

Another area in which variable data shines is with automating workf lows. Adding a barcode to each job allows it to be tracked through the entire manufacturing process. The XML file can be used to add the barcode information to the postscript file.

Think a lso of e-commerce sites. Here, customers are designing their own finished pieces and submitting jobs. These are pre-flighted automatically, and then a barcode is added to each individual job so that it can be tracked through the printing process and out the door for shipping. A shipping label will be generated with the data the customer has input into a web template, and then this information is sent to a label printer so that the process is automated with as few touches as possible to get it out the back door and on the way to the customer. Having a barcode on each job (and label) helps to keep the right variable data on the right piece, and the right order shipping to the right customer.

Wide-Format VDP OpportunitiesIn the wide-format arena, there are areas that VDP can come into play. Posters for a product can be customized for different locales or stores, in some cases the actual product description may change depending on the region that the poster will be displayed. Sports tournaments are another area that VDP can help sponsors stand out by customizing each of their sponsorship opportunities. Instead of a generic sign, the sponsors logo and custom text can be generated for each sign, and then if there are other opportunities for sponsorship, it is easy to set up the template to take the data and

use it for a banner outlining additional sponsorships for those other areas, such as a cocktail reception, lunch, etc.

Regional or Franchise Customization Franchise owners with restaurants in different locales or regions may want a similar promotional poster or window sign along with POP products, and the only difference is in the pricing. With VDP, the sign template would have all the same elements and the variable data would change the pricing depending on the locale that the sign was being displayed. This streamlines the process in prepress. Now whether it’s 100 large-format signs or 1,000 smaller POP items, the preparation time is greatly reduced, allowing the prepress department more flexibility and the ability to produce more in a given time frame.

An important point to note is educating your customer base on your ability to do VDP. Let them know that you can help them target their message and the power of variability when delivering their message in a cluttered landscape.

Technical CaveatA discussion of VDP isn’t complete without a quick tech tip. Typically, you can’t use variable data in a text box that has a text wrap applied. You need to use a separate text box for the full width text and a separate box for the indented text. When you are creating the template, test the longest variable text field to make sure that the variable text fits in the area that has been allocated. Ensure that images that will be placed from the data source are the exact same dimension for optimal results. If you don’t, the images may be scaled to fit. If you are using special effects on text, create it in Adobe Illustrator or Photoshop and save it as an .eps or .tif file. Then, import that into the sign or label as an image and not as text. Lastly, make sure that your data file and the fields you are using on your sign or label match in their naming convention. Don’t have the template looking for “firstname” and the data file labeled “F name.”

Go out and give it a shot. Your customers will appreciate you helping them get better results from their printed pieces and you’ll be the hero!

*SGIA Member Companies, in order of mention:Wasatch, since 2013Agfa Graphics, since 2005

An important point to note is educating your customer base on your ability to do VDP.

V i s i t S G I A a t S G I A . o r g S G I A J o u r n a l ■ J u l y / A u g u s t 2 0 1 7 | 7

Ray Weiss, Digital Imaging Specialist for SGIA, joined the Association in 2014. He provides solutions and technical information on digital printing as well as digital equipment, materials, and vendor referrals. He oversees several workshops at SGIA along with the association’s digital equipment evaluation program and is responsible for the color management certification program. Ray is a regular contributor to the association's Journal and won the 2016 Swormstedt Award for Best in Class writing in the Digital Printing category. His 25+ year career in the graphics industry has spanned owning his own prepress and of fset business to digital wide format sales, training, support, and service. Ray has extensive experience in color management and worked closely with the Smithsonian Institution to implement a color managed workflow in their Exhibits department.

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