20 ·
real
business Graph Expo 2011 Edition
In August 2010, following three years of
global collaboration by industry leaders,
the International Standards Organization
published the specification for
PDF/VT,
a.k.a. ISO 16612-2. PDF/VT is built on the
foundation of the PDF imaging model,
widely recognized as the richest and most
robust in the graphics industry. Optimized
for the specific needs of Variable (V)
and Transactional (T) workflows, PDF/
VT efficiently addresses the requirements
of moder
n Variable Data Printing (VDP)
,
bringing all the well-known advantages
of PDF workflow to the world of
personalized print.
Personalized print production today
employs multiple formats and
architectures, both standard and
proprietary. Each language is specialized,
with strengths and weaknesses relative
to different job types and workflows.
However, many of them rely on PostScript,
a 27-year-old imaging model that does
not support live transparency or modern
color management. These specialized
VDP languages are unfamiliar to everyone
except the experts. Their files cannot
be easily previewed, shared, proofed,
submitted online or preflighted. They do
not support “blind exchange,” meaning
that they are not completely self-
contained, and/or are not independent
of a particular output device.
Personalized, graphically rich print media
held in the hands of a customer or
prospect makes a strong impact, creates
an instant connection and deepens the
customer’s engagement with the sender
(
for example. with portfolio pie charts,
targeted images, graphic rendition
of customer names, etc.). But today,
the print experience competes with
rich-media websites, targeted emails,
videos and social networks. Imprinting
variable black text on a preprinted color
“
shell” is no longer sufficient to capture
audience attention span. High-impact
designs, integrating both variable and
static elements, are needed to capture
imaginations and mindshare. Their use
is correlated with greater comprehension
and retention... and response rates.
Therefore, agencies, financial companies
and enterprise marketers need to be
able to express their messages with
sophisticated use of color and complex
graphic effects, such as transparency.
The Next-Generation
Personalized Print
Bringing the benefits of PDF workflow to VDP
.
.
.
by Mark Lewiecki