In a recent blog, I talked about the future for web2print in a cloud computing context. One part of the cloud was missing there. And it's not the most obvious one. Web2print vendors using functionalities of each other's applications. It might not seem realistic, but we feel it can and will happen.
The many meanings of web2print
One of the reasons it is bound to happen is that the term "web2print application" is used for so many (often very diverse) types of applications. When we use it for the DMP FLO Suite, it means the automatic generation of files (often with InDesign Server templates), and the transmission of those orders to the existing logistics systems. But other vendors focus a lot more on the ordering mechanism (and the entire logistics of the orders). They make sure that all data is retreived for a wide variety of possible orders, and that production is handled semi-automatically (or fully automated) for PDF files that are uploaded. In other cases, the focus lies much more on stock management, and orders from these pre-existing prints. Even other applications go more for complete direct marketing campaigns, where the follow-up of the campaigns gets more focus than the variable data printing.
So all in all, there is a lot less competition that there would seem to be at first glance.
The few purposes of web2print
If we ignore end customers hosting their own solutions, and focus on printing companies, there are only a couple of reasons for a web2print solution to be used. Well. Actually just one reason. Making more money. But there might be a couple of ways in which this can be achieved. Attracting more new customers, making sure that existing customers don't take their orders somewhere else, diversifying into different markets (e.g. media services), doing the same work with less efforts, and so on. And since many web2print vendors focus on different approaches, they might not be able to fully realize the potential on all of these points. And in the same way that a web2print solution might use the functionalities of a prepress workflow automation application, the web2print solution might use the functionalities of a different web2print application.
The various philosophies of web2print vendors
This open nature has always been our own philosophy. We try to make open software, and we don't mind making integrations with other software that might seem competitive to our own. We just want our customers to make money on our solution (we find that that is the best way to keep everybody happy). So connections exist with MIS systems, but also with content management systems or asset management systems, even though we provide these functionalities as well. But untill recently, we had the idea that it would be completely different for web2print functionalities. In our home market, other web2print vendors tend to be very closed and unwilling to share functionalities. Yet as we are starting our international expansion, we find that existing vendors are more than willing to talk about integration. They seem to share the idea that a software like web2print needs to be open to succeed. Who knows. Maybe that's the reason that they are succeeding in international business.