Printing Power

ANRO has linked offset and digital print services to Web-based offerings in a surefire combination. The 190-employee, Devon, PA firm has parlayed its skills in digital workflow and direct mail offerings incorporating hybrid inkjet-on-offset and variable print—along with an array of the latest online services—to satisfy its customers on a turnkey basis for the foreseeable future.

The company has followed a steady investment course, expanding its digital and offset platforms synchronously to demonstrate the synergy between the processes. Its current array includes four multicolor offset lines with coaters: an 8-color Speedmaster CD102 perfector; 6-color and 5-color CD102s; and a 4-color KBA 105 perfector. All can handle thicker package-grade substrates; the 41´´ KBA, for example, can run up to 40-pt. board. Other offset presses include a 20´´ 6-color SM 52 perfector, a pair of 2-color Heidelberg QM46s and a pair of Hamada Star 550 presses.

Next month the pressroom grows again, with the arrival of a 40´´ 9-color SM102 Speedmaster perfector with coater and two Jet envelope presses.

Founded in 1953 as a secretarial services provider, ANRO has its roots in mailing services. It has been on the vanguard of digital print offerings long enough to be among that rarefied group of printers that has evolved through several generations of digital production platforms.

The company's digital pressroom houses four 6-color HP Indigos—three sheetfed model 5000s and an s2000 (for thicker substrates and specialty stocks)—and three monochrome Xerox Nuveras. ANRO added its latest Indigo 5000 in December and the s2000 last month.

By integrating and automating workflow, the firm is able to extend its services to the next frontier—the virtual world where print can be ordered online, or where print can drive online response as part of integrated multi-platform marketing efforts for its clients.

ANRO's success in moving from a lettershop to a provider of turnkey offerings in mail, fulfillment, digital communications and digital media provides a salient example of where print seems to be headed in the 21st century.

Large-format proofing systems and prototyping software, including computer-aided design (CAD), round out ANRO's package printing capabilities. The company is also a user of HumanEyes 3-D software.

ANRO uses the Pantone-licensed HP IndiChrome off-press ink mixing system for spot color creation on the 5000s. The firm also does wide-format work on two pairs of HP Designjet 5500 and 1055s printers.

An MCS Graphics Imaging System 4250, featuring HP SPS thermal inkjet technology, imprints high-volume direct-mail materials printed on its offset presses. The system offers continuous ink delivery that can process as many as 3 million pieces, at 25,000 per hour, before its cartridges are expended.

About 15% of ANRO's sales volume is digital printing; officials anticipate that will grow.

“Digital print complements our conventional print services, and we've secured some large conventional projects with digital print components because of our expertise in both arenas,” says Larry Wolf, ANRO sales and marketing director. “Variable-data printing also meshes well with our direct mail services.”

ANRO's investment in a digital prepress workflow in the early '90s to power its offset printing led to its investment in digital printing. Wolf says the power of that workflow was magnified when it was linked to networked copiers and a pair of Xerox DocuTechs. In the mid-'90s, the company installed its first color Indigo.

Most of ANRO's digital printing contains variable content. Applications range from simple inline addressing of mailers (which Wolf says is more efficient with better quality than inkjetting) to 100% variable-content documents.

“We do a lot of marketing collateral, direct mail, brochures, etc., that take advantage of VDP's ability to deliver precisely targeted communications,” he says.

While Wolf says the market's adoption of VDP has been slow, it continues to gain momentum with the emergence of 1-to-1 marketing, customer relationship marketing and database marketing initiatives.

“VDP requires a highly educational sales process,” says Wolf. “Design and data considerations are particularly important. We've always taken a consultative approach to sales, and this has served us particularly well when it comes to variable-data printing.”

ANRO also offers customers Web-to-print applications powered by Printable, XMPie and the company's own custom-built solutions. Client-specific print management Websites allow online ordering of all its offerings. Applications range from a simple solution for reordering stationery to complex catalogs of materials customized with variable content at the time of order. Entire libraries of print materials and non-printed items can also be posted.

The company is qualified as a licensed, self-hosted Printable and XMPie vendor, which means its clients' print management Websites are hosted on ANRO servers.

Recently added services integrate Web-based and print-based offerings, including hosting personalized Website “landing pages,” known as PURLs, text messaging to cell phones and PDAs, and dynamic e-mail.

“We've run a few campaigns that marry these services with our VDP, direct mail and fulfillment,” says Wolf. “We sent a VDP mailer that contains an invitation to visit a Website that has the recipient's name in the URL.”

When the print recipient visits the Website, they access a form containing their information and are asked about their interests.

When a visitor submits a request, a fulfillment order is sent to ANRO, which prints and mails the requested VDP marketing piece or other item, depending on the campaign.

www.anro.com, hp.com/go/graphicarts, printable.com, xmpie.com, us.heidelberg.com, mcspro.com and humaneyes.com