by HP PrintOS Composer Team
New Switch App for HP PrintOS VDP
Asserting that Workflow Automation is important would be a statement that you probably heard of before, and most probably – more than once. The number of jobs is increasing, while at the same time the print runs are getting shorter. In this world – Print Service Providers have two choices: automating the workflow to win the market, or otherwise focus on relatively small niches. Again, you probably know all that, otherwise you would not be looking for apps in the Enfocus Appstore.
But there is one aspect of automation that sometimes gets ignored - the aspect of Variable Data Printing. There are a couple of reasons for this unfortunate reality. In many cases, VDP jobs are less frequent than the static jobs. Moreover, VDP jobs usually have a more complex nature, since they require multiple inputs – a VDP template, a Data Base, assets and more. The result is that many Print Service Providers that have a highly automated workflow for their static jobs, still use manual, expensive and error-prone methods to prepare VDP jobs.
But like in many aspects in Print Production, reality changes quickly. True, VDP jobs are not becoming simpler to produce, but the volumes – definitely go up. It may be related to the Generation Z (also commonly referred to as the “Me Generation”) that is accustomed to personal experiences and it may be related to sustainability factors, where printed products have a specific audience, but one thing is indisputable - the number of VDP jobs is going up. Therefore, when it comes to workflow automation, Print Service Providers have to consider the VDP jobs as well.
This is why we, at HP, have stepped forward and created an Enfocus Switch app for HP PrintOS Composer. This app enables you, as a Print Service Provider, to automate your VDP workflow, just like you do with your static jobs. The process is very straightforward - simply send the VDP template, Data Base and assets (e.g. images) to PrintOS, and get back an imposed and ready to print PDF. This PDF then continues your regular workflow via Enfocus Switch, just like any other job in your production environment.
There are actually a couple more benefits to using PrintOS Composer. First, the creation of the variable PDF is done in the highly secured PrintOS cloud service – meaning that you don’t need to employ your personal PC or Mac. And secondly – since PrintOS Composer operates on a scalable server farm with high-performance servers, the PDF creation is extremely fast.
Oh, and one more thing – HP PrintOS Composer is absolutely free for the first 10,000 records. Every month!
So, what do you need to get started? First – you need to be an HP customer. Secondly, make sure you get your PrintOS credentials, which are available here. Third, download the HP PrintOS Composer app for Enfocus Switch from here. That’s all – you are set to go.
Happy automation!
