Dscoop is a cooperative annual event hosted by HP with attendees from every part of the digital print industry. There are print providers, equipment manufacturers, software developers, marketing consultants and paper manufacturers gathered in Phoenix this week to educate, share ideas and best practices to collectively grow in our field. My goal here is to “take you there” as I observe and interact with participants from all over the world.

First observation is one of optimism in the number of attendees—over 2,000 people gathered to learn and discuss a small portion of the print industry!  It’s a gathering for digital print but even more defined, most of the attendees from the printer segment are users of the HP brand of digital equipment.  A second conference running concurrently with Dscoop, is JetComm, which is focused on inkjet printing.  There are an estimated 5 billion ink jet pages printed per month and it’s only 3% of all pages printed.  So, a large participation in a conference dedicated to a small subset of the industry is a reminder that there is plenty of life left in the printed word and all of the functions that surround it.

A hands-on sample of the convenience and rapid turn with digital print is the Dscoop Daily. This tabloid was distributed within an hour after this picture of master mentalist, Lior Suchard was taken as he performed.  It was impactful as a spectator to walk out of the auditorium and be handed a newspaper that chronicled the event that you had just witnessed.  That type of speed opens up the potential for event commemoration.

Most of the sessions I attended were focused on the modern media mix and how print and digital can compliment each other to create a solid omnichannel strategy. Here are some observations from some of the breakout sessions that I have been able to attend.  As we all walk further into the digital age and are bombarded with communication options, it pays to have a defined plan on how information should be shared with your customers. To cut through the noise that consumers face and successfully speak to your target market, you have to have multiple streams of communication. With so much competition for their attention, customers need to hear the message and then be reminded of the message.  There is software available that can target your direct mail list with a “warm up”  message via Facebook from MindFire. The potential customer would see the image before they receive the printed piece which makes it more familiar. They are more likely to take action since there is familiarity with what you are telling them.

For our friends on the print solution side of the business here are a few insights from a panel of veteran graphic designers led by Paperspecs’ Sabine Lenz:

• Don’t be discouraged when your designer contact is slow to make a decision. Designers are prognosticators—they have to mull over their ideas.
• Print is intimidating to designers, especially the young ones, simply because print has more permanence than the social media platforms they’ve have grown up with. Print is not taught to designers in school as it was to the previous generation. A little guidance from a printer is appreciated—and could lead to a long-lasting professional relationship.
• They need your help in gaining knowledge of print and how to design print. They can’t get this information from the internet. Feed them print techniques in bite size portions.
• Help designers at project time, educate them when they are between projects and stress the importance of involving you as early as possible in the project. Shameless self-promotion: involving printers early in the process is stressed often in Blueline Magazine because it’s a critical component int eh creation of any outstanding printed piece. Encourage your clients to sign up for a complimentary subscription.
• Show them what can be done in print. Use your own company collateral to display techniques. If your company offers variable data printing, make sure the designer understands the full potential of that vehicle. If it can do more than just change the name, and address for each piece, help them understand the potential of your printing equipment so the latest technology options can be planned for in the design process.

Communication options continue to expand. Data collection is becoming more intelligent. Digital print is evolving to utilize the information and make your targets more defined. Those who invest in educating themselves and collaborating with partners in areas where they don’t have expertise will have the best chance of success.