Printing Industry Uses Internet (I)

After several years of practice, the printing industry in the United States has gained a lot of experience in using the Internet. This article describes some of the experiences of the printing industry in the United States.
I. Digital Printing and E-Commerce In July 2000, the Electronic Printing Committee (ECC) and the Digital Printing Committee (DPC) of the American Printing Industry Association jointly organized a conference on the relationship between e-commerce and digital printing. Participants expressed great concern about the characteristics of e-commerce and how digital printing affects their business performance.
Why are you focused on these two topics? The geographical dispersion of buyers and sellers of printed matter, the sensitivity of the project to time, the differences in project requirements, and the need to make multiple changes in a short period of time make printers willing to accept effective e-commerce; commercial printing has begun to use digital printing. . As digital printing began to become mainstream and e-commerce became popular, printers were able to combine production with tight electronic workflows and provide customers with more than ever before.
Most participants believe that printers must develop an e-commerce strategy and learn how to sell "complete" solutions. Customers only require delivery, printers can not blindly lower prices for competition, but should provide a variety of solutions to attract and retain customers.
Without basic e-commerce technologies and digital printing systems, printers cannot face the current industrial revolution. However, this technology is complex and requires professionals to maintain and support customers. An important step for printers with many years of experience is to learn and trust these new technologies. Faced with new things such as database management, data integration, and the limitations of computer chip processing speed, printers are aware of the need for competent database administrators or external professional database managers.
With the advent of the Internet, people can access information anytime, anywhere. Speed ​​and accessibility bring value to printing. "Completing more work in a shorter period of time" has become the standard. The preparation of variable data printing is still lagging behind, and print buyers are tempted by this technology and multiple choices. As technology advances and educates customers, digital printing will soon be recognized.
In addition to basic concepts such as anonymous and automated processing in transactions, the Internet can also help printers establish and maintain relationships with customers. With these new technologies, every employee in a printing company can become a customer service representative. Now, the printer can contact the customer through the entire document creation process and help them understand the production process of the job. For long-term digital jobs, printers can develop projects with customers. It requires the professionals of the printer and the customer to find the most feasible solution through communication.
The prospect of printing is bright. Printers expect the Internet to maintain the vitality of printing, reduce management costs and strengthen relationships with customers. As the combination of digital printing and e-commerce shortens production time, the use of digital printing will increase.
Second, trust-related factors Low prices, competitive bidding and access to suppliers around the world - these benefits attract customers to the Internet and print service providers' websites. For example, websites such as Impresse.com, Collabria.com, printCafe.com, PrintBid.com, PaperExchange.com, PrintNation.com, Noosh.com, and ImageX.com in the United States. However, are customers and suppliers leaking their secrets when they are busy buying and selling online? What happens when passing information online? Can we ensure that the customer's secret will never be revealed?
Verisign.com, an internet security certification company, believes that by 2003, 91% of Fortune 500 companies will purchase online. One-quarter of all B2B purchases will be completed online. Although the printing industry accepts that the e-commerce market is slower than other industries, its figures are still impressive: According to a study by a non-profit group, the Print-On-Demand Initiative, printing-related e-commerce reached $1.6 billion in 2000 alone. According to the TrendWatch study, 16% of the respondents participated in live bidding on the Internet.
In order to confidently and securely transact online, transaction participants need truthfulness. Transaction participants must increase trust by reliably confirming each other’s identity and the ability to make payments. 2. Payment, buyers and sellers use the advantages of multiple payment methods and existing payment systems as part of automation to achieve secure online transactions. 3. Legal effectiveness. In order to prevent fraud and resolve future disputes, trading participants must be able to record actual transactions. These matters can be handled by public key management software. Companies providing such software include Entrust, RSA Security, GTE, and Microsoft. These softwares are used to register, issue and manage digital certificates.
People who are new to e-commerce often ask about content security. When a publisher sends a manuscript online, it needs security. The problem of passing files over the Internet has now been solved using an encrypted browser or other information security solution. Companies offering these solutions include Critical Path, Infraworks Corp, and Disappearing. Since buyers and sellers are shifting from on paper-based methods, such as planning applications, contract negotiations, invoices, payments, and settlement, to online methods, what about sensitive information related to bidding and procurement? Who will see this information when it passes from one service provider to another, from one server to another? In this environment, enterprises are in the relationship between the Internet, external networks and B2B. It is really necessary to ensure the security of ordinary online delivery. If the printer wants to pass the soft proofing to a third party and think about hard disk copy and mail delivery, how secure is the security of network transmission?
In order to protect yourself, it is recommended that buyers and sellers clarify several issues before signing:
1. What is the exact structure of this online market? In the transaction is based on the buyer, the seller is mainly or neutral. There are no legitimate reasons for this; (to be continued)