POD and Document Management (I)

Web-based POD and document management: We are changing the way we print We can get a variety of new resources through the Internet, which gives us more options for printing, distribution and document management. Traditional print production is giving way to web applications and services. These emerging web applications and services streamline the printing and distribution process and take POD (Print On Demand) and document management to the next level .
Some companies, including Printweb and Xerox, offer web-based document management and POD services, ranging from e-warehouses to online print orders, print production management, personalized services, bookbinding, transmission and post-processing. . Other companies involved in this, such as PrintChannel.com and SMARTwork.com, offer web-based print purchasing services that connect customers and print suppliers through web-based print production management tools. There are also some companies that offer personalized services.
Now companies of all sizes have started to use web-based POD and document management services within the company. If they are used as an external service, they can not only simplify the company's logistics, but also speed up the printing process. The on-demand printing of content through the Internet has also involved color promotional materials, technical publications, business cards and other aspects.
According to some companies that provide web-based POD and document management services, their customers can save 5% to 10% of their expenses through these services, even up to 70%. Electronic file storage and on-demand printing can also save a lot of human resources. In the past, a job took several days or weeks to print, pack it for hours, label it, and it took several days to ship it to customers. Now it takes only a few minutes to place an order online, then print it in the nearest place and take a few days or even less to reach the customer.
Network-based POD and file management services, whether used directly inside the company or installed outside the company as third-party services, can bring more convenience and save money. All kinds of large, medium and small enterprises can benefit from it.
Kim Grover, general manager of Xerox Corporation, who is also an industry consultant for insurance and financial industry, points out that as competition pressures increase, Xerox's customers increasingly choose to externally complete document management and printing. Insurance and financial companies have come to the conclusion that the more concentrated the investment is in their core business, the better the proceeds. Like most businesses, insurance and financial services companies find themselves in need of more effective use of their own funds. One way to achieve this is to contract with other companies to provide services and control print production outside the company. The entire printing production process will be completed by a third party, focusing more on the core business. And with web-based POD and file management, this external processing is much easier than it used to be. Authorized customers can use a standard web browser to request file and format changes and follow this requirement. Print output.
However, when a company needs 5000 or more forms to support its own business, it is difficult to easily obtain POD services. To this end, Xerox provides customers with additional services, such as full process management, that is, accepting user's format requirements and completing them.
In the case where hard copy (printing) is still far from being eliminated, Grover said that the new paradigm is through the Internet to hard copy and passed directly to individual consumers. Through network POD and document management, companies can greatly reduce unnecessary waste and tailor the information they need to meet the needs of different consumers.
1. USDA introduced network-based POD services into school network document management and POD services to save time, space, and funding for GS/USDA (US Department of Agriculture's higher education). As a government training organization, GS/USDA needs to set up courses, write teaching materials, and train employees of all agencies in the United States. To this end, GS/USDA has introduced the Digital Express 2000 system developed by IKON Corporation. This system supports GS/USDA students to select course materials from a web directory through the Internet. After selection, these materials will be printed and transmitted to students. . The printing of materials will be selected from the nearest IKON production site in the location of the student and passed to the trainees from here.
IKON's Digital Express 2000 production and distribution system enables GS/USDA to achieve instant publishing and maintain a unified national standard. And this approach can save 2,500 square meters of space for storing documents, and by completing 700 orders a year, the time saved is equivalent to 30 minutes less per order.
The newly released IKON Digtial Expres2000 for the printing market has expanded its system functions as an ISP and promised to simplify the access of commercial printing and rapid printing to the print e-procurement market. IKON also added the MicroPress Common Print Server (CPS) from T/R Systems Inc. as a front end to a range of imaging devices from Canon, Ricoh, Oce and Hewllett-Packard to enhance Digiagl Express 2000's distribution and printing capabilities.
Second, services outside the network: Output and transmission To successfully carry out web-based document management and POD services, it must be able to order and process documents and prepare for network printing and transmission. This is extremely important. In addition, ensuring the fidelity of the printed output and the quickness of product delivery are also critical.
As an early entry into the web-based POD and document management market, Business Communications (CC) has provided nearly five years of services to Fortune 500 manufacturers, trade services and insurance companies, and book publishers. CCI operates two production machine companies, one in Wisconsin and one in Arizona. At these two sites, electronic files are printed directly on the network to Xerox's DocuTech device. In addition to on-demand printing services, CCI also offers a "scan to print" service that digitizes customer's paper documents and prints and archives them. Other services include stapling, inventory, shipping, and an easy online order-up via an online document management system.