By Cassandra Balentine
Web to print (W2P) software enables print providers to offer business to business (B2B) customers with branding and template options to support a range of printing services, while business to consumer (B2C) environments look for an easy-to-use solution for more novice print providers to access 24/7.
In the July issue of DPS Magazine you’ll find an in-depth article on the feature sets W2P providers offer to support B2B and B2C print environments. Here, we offer highlights from solutions on the market.
Solution Highlights
Print providers have many options when it comes to W2P. Depending on the company’s focus and specific requirements, there is sure to be a solution that fits the bill.
Agfa offers Apogee StoreFront, a cloud-based W2P solution developed and hosted by Agfa Graphics. With StoreFront, print providers are able to set up multiple visually rich, responsive B2B and B2C portals with no programming or web development experience necessary. The solution is designed to work in offset, digital, and wide format environments and supports a range of products. For customizable templates, StoreFront’s Online Editor enables buyers to edit and design documents in the browser while maintaining brand and formatting standards for anything from business cards to banners to multi-page publications.
Aleyant Pressero is a cloud-based B2B and B2C online storefront and portal solution that can be customized to individual client and marketing needs. With Pressero, customers create one or more B2C storefronts and an unlimited number of B2B storefronts. Online design, instant pricing, reorders, inventory fulfillment, shipping integration, and credit card payments are all supported, as are responsive website designs that work on phones, tablets, and laptops. Additionally, Pressero includes eDocBuilder, a web-based variable data publishing and design online system. It can also be integrated with third-party W2P or MIS solutions as a standalone solution. Aleyant Automated Workflow Integrator connects the cloud-based stores with the prepress department, making online operations streamlined and affordable.
Aurigma’s Customer’s Canvas is an online W2P editor that enables print providers to create ordering workflows for a variety of products, while also providing end users with a user-friendly experience. The open architecture and public API allow the solution to integrate into any website or platform and can easily integrate into an existing W2P system. The solution focuses on both B2B and B2C implementations and works mostly with medium- and large-sized companies.
CloudLab’s PrintQ is an extension to the open-source Magento eCommerce Platform, which addresses the needs of both B2B and B2C markets. PrintQ enables online design and offers variable data tools to ensure corporate design standards and branding to conform to the B2Bs while also providing enough flexibility for B2Cs. Online preview and approval as well as approval chains are supported.
Cyrious Ecommerce enables customers to place orders 24/7 from the print provider. While primarily focused on B2B, the system can also meet the needs of providers who reach into B2B markets. Storefronts are hosted, secure, and backed up. Orders placed online sync directly with Cyrious Control and are ready for production and tracking.
EFI Digital Storefront (DSF) is a print ecommerce platform serving thousands of print service providers to drive millions of orders each year. DSF is the company’s primary B2B tool, optimized for traditional commercial printers as well as in-plant print centers to run and manage operations and order management. Customers range in size from the largest multi-national, multi-site plant enterprises to small, two-man in-plant print centers—its tools and modular design scale easily to support any use case. One of the solution’s leading features is its tight integration with EFI’s range of print MIS solutions, which are used by printers and packaging organizations to manage all aspects of their production, estimating, planning, scheduling, and invoicing. With this tight integration, EFI customers enjoy seamless transfer of orders to production and invoicing—reducing steps and saving time and money.
Flexi W2P software is designed as an easy-to-operate, high-performance online printing solution that allows users to attract new customers by offering a W2P storefront with the ability to upload designs for printing or use professional, ready-to-use templates offered by Flexi. Provide online value-added services to existing corporate customers by uploading brand identity materials and allowing them to modify and re order the same projects through dedicated corporate pages.
OnPrintShop helps PSPs setup online order management solutions to simplify ordering, reordering for B2B, B2C, and resellers, and automate order management to increase sales and profitability. Its range of software as a service and customizable license solutions are specifically designed to meet the needs of small print shops serving retail to large print providers dealing with corporate and franchise networks.
Pageflex offers a series of solutions that incorporate W2P functionality. Pageflex Storefront is a flagship W2P application for creating and customizing W2P sites. Pageflex campaign manager is an application that can be added to Pageflex Storefront to produce coordinated campaigns that combine print, email, and pURLs. Its reporting capabilities allows users to track results of the campaign in real time. Pageflex iWay is an end-to-end W2P workflow and print management platform that brings together web-based ordering, prepress, production and delivery, and automation for digital and hybrid print providers. Pando platform is a leading marketing automation solution that provides sales enablement and campaign-based marketing resource management while maintaining crucial approval workflows and communication compliance requirements for organizations with distributed channels.
PagePath’s W2P solution is MyOrderDesk, which targets small and medium commercial printers, in plants, and brokers, with a focus on creating a long-lasting, enjoyable buying experience for their B2B customers. Shops have also used MyOrderDesk successfully in the B2C market space. PagePath has been delivering online ordering and artwork transfer before W2P was coined. They set themselves from the competition with cost-cutting technology, but especially with the offer to build out customers’ storefronts at no additional charge.
PressWise by SmartSoft is an end-to-end W2P, MIS, and workflow automation platform. Customers represent a mixture of small- to medium-sized commercial printers and in-plant print operations, often with a strong digital printing focus. While PressWise storefronts can be either B2B or B2C, most of its customers use them in a B2B environment. Alongside a rich set of features and tools that might be typically found in most competitive storefront products, PressWise provides a complete set of backend MIS and workflow automation tools to allow print providers to automate their entire workflow from order capture to shipping and billing.
PrintPoint Web2Print focuses on both B2B and B2C, providing template-based B2B sites and custom programmed B2C sites. The company’s B2B sites are used primarily by customers to create easy online ordering centers that integrate directly into its MIS solution. All details include the PDFs, due dates, multiple shipping locations, and custom uploads. The key advantage for its customers is high retention rates. End users can order products 24/7 with the comfort and security that the product and all of its ordering details are available online for review and re-ordering. On the other side of the spectrum, PrintPoint’s B2C sites are typically custom designed for users that require specialized solutions.
Print MIS eFLO W2P enables printing companies to allow B2B and B2C customers to get an instant quote, upload artwork, design online, proof, and pay for orders online.
Propago focuses on the B2B market. It offers several features including a modern UI, a flexible business rules engine, ability to handle a shop’s entire brand catalog, and a complete platform to handle orders from inception to final shipment.
Racad Tech offers its Web to Print Shop W2P offering. The solution serves B2C, B2B, and more through its custom web development. The W2P portal features pre-approved templates that can be created, edited, and stored and include variable data components. Budgeting tools and management approvals ensure transparency and reduce errors.
The RedTie Template W2P solution is geared towards both B2B and B2C environments. With the ability to offer software for both markets, the solution enables print providers to customize the storefront using a variety of features. RTT+ is a real-time pricing calculator that enables end users to receive real-time quoting based on specifications they enter into the browser from a series of drop downs customized by the printer for this purpose.
Rochester Software Associates (RSA)’s WebCRD offers W2P plus production workflow, designed specifically for in plants. WebCRD increases customer satisfaction with the 24×7 fast and easy experience customers expect, increases efficiency by automating job ticketing, production management, and cost tracking. The solution is offered in three configurations with multiple modules and options and offers integrations ranging from other RSA products to a range of third party print center workflow applications and shipping and corporate and enterprise applications. All of this is offered in a highly configurable, secure, scalable solution that meets demanding corporate requirements. The solution is available hosted in the cloud and on site. WebCRD has a proven, documented track record of providing superior ROI for customers with a rigorous implementation process from solution design and configuration to installation and roll out and responsive, in house support satisfaction.
Vpress Coreprint has an advanced, comprehensive, and affordable B2B and B2C solution. IT works with a range of businesses within the printing industry.
W2Psoftware.com provides small- to mid-sized printers with ease of entry and an affordable W2P storefront. For $399 per month, users have access to B2B and B2C modules, dedicated URL to host a secure website storefront, secure end user single sign on or password entry, training to skin sites, complete email responses to all transactions, customer roles and settings programmed via drop down selections without writing code, automatic pricing, automatic delivery protocol, and pricing linked to UPS or FedEx, payment or general account code transactions, drop down box for multi-level post card direct mail campaigns or customer photo and addresses, templates for variable data field and font management, inventory tracking, high-resolution PDF creation, no transaction fees, and live person phone support.
XMPie PersonalEffect StoreFlow is a W2P software platform with built-in variable data publishing features for both B2B and B2C markets that allow print providers, agencies, or enterprises to set up full-featured ecommerce stores to sell anything from hats and shirts to static print items, fully personalized items, and complete marketing campaigns. It can be used with any print press, enabling providers to efficiently process a high volume or personalized print.
Web Capabilities
No matter the solution chosen, print providers benefit from added visibility and faster order management with the integration of W2P into their operations.
Aug2018, DPS Magazine
