The print industry is scaling and evolving rapidly, and so are the challenges to staying competitive and generating revenue. Some major issues in print operations occur while handling orders, maintaining records, and communicating with customers. For similar reasons, print businesses are looking forward to a complete web2print solution that effortlessly manages the entire print workflow.

Meanwhile, the digital adoption for printers is growing from 26% in 2014 to 29% in 2023, showing that volumes have increased. Print businesses look ready for technological advancement, but there are certain limitations when it comes to IT knowledge. Due to this, web2print, a simple-to-use yet powerful solution, is becoming the ideal choice for many businesses.  

The importance of web2print
Manual recording is prone to errors leading to print issues, while in the case of print eCommerce, every action is recorded and monitored with the help of defined print workflow automation. Print businesses are investing in a web2print solution, a fully functional resource to define and manage end-to-end print workflow. It ensures that every pre-flight and backend process is accurate to avoid print issues. 

Around 77% of the print sector wants to automate their business operations, which showcases the growing relevance of intelligent W2P solutions. Multiple SaaS-based web2print solutions are already helping print businesses scale their services and handle printing processes with minimal or no manual records.

The process to automate with web2print
People are keen to invest in web2print as it saves time, reduces manual errors, and helps print businesses deliver faster. Let us look at the simple process to start automating print production with a web2print solution:   

• Identify the Issues: It is essential to identify the issues in the current printing business. Gather data and create a list of challenges affecting the business revenue. The problems can be related to price calculations, designing, invoicing, order processing, shipping, customer data, and in several other segments. 
• Choose web2print service provider: Shortlist the ones that solve all or most of print business issues. Then, invest in solutions that offer a higher level of personalisation and customisation. Also, look for supported integrations to enhance your store functionalities and performance. 
• Define budget: Consider the initial and ongoing investments in the software. Also, check for hidden costs and find its long-term ROI for the printing business. This will help print businesses get the correct investment required and the profits they can generate with the web-to-print solution.  
• Start small: If available, take the demo of the software or else implement the system for limited products and then refine the process. Get feedback on the print storefront and identify potential improvements to deliver a better customer experience. 
• Automate time-consuming tasks: Use automation to generate bills instantly with dynamic values, update order status, handle inventory, and more to reduce manual work. Define the tasks that do not require human intervention, then set triggers to get faster and quality results. 
• Review, optimise, and upgrade: Continuously review the store performance by generating reports and optimising the weak links. Regularly upgrade print storefronts to meet customer demands and expectations. 

The success of automation 
The conventional printing model is time-consuming, with limited customisation and a complex order process. In the print industry, people are tired of complicated and repetitive tasks like print file generation, invoices, order details, etc. 

The requirement of a sophisticated platform with seamless integrations is a boost for startups and medium-sized enterprises. Now, people are focusing on robust workflow automation, which requires minimal resources to process print orders. 

Every business has unique requirements and expectations to handle print order management, from retail to large format printers. Web2print has become a flexible solution that can handle different conditions with ease.  

While most monotonous and time-consuming tasks are automated, it will give print businesses enough resources to scale their business. Also, business owners can focus on customer retention and deliver better print orders. 

Business owners can define the design approval process and get print-ready files without trims or bleeds issues. It will enable storefront customers to design their print files by customising the existing layout or starting from scratch.

Print businesses can now handle every task from order placing to designing to shipment through their web2print storefronts. This technological advancement ensures smoother print processes so that the workforce can focus on other important business functions. 

As there is a record of every action, there are fewer chances of print issues. Businesses can also assign different roles to their staff to verify and follow standard print production processes. Organised data and automation make it easier to figure out errors in the pre-flight and design approval processes.  

Unique elements of web2print
When you build an online storefront for a print business, there might be many features and functionalities, but it is essential to maintain a balance. Businesses must offer just enough features to keep customers' journeys simple yet fruitful. Things to focus on while executing a web2print project are:

• Business intelligence dashboard: Bring business intelligence into the print storefront that automatically manages and updates every printing action. Whether it's order status, design approvals, print files, etc, it becomes easier to set custom views and display valuable information. 
• Quality CRM: The turnaround time is shorter when users can manage customers and leads in the same module. Automate tasks, assign roles, add notes, update progress, and more while everything syncs in real time. 
• Customer experience: Print businesses have peculiar customers in B2B and B2C, making it crucial to personalise the experience for better retention. The centralised and automated solution gives print businesses resources and time to deliver a customer-friendly journey.   
• Quicker price estimation: Most customers avoid extra steps while getting quotations, leading to higher abandonment. Automate the price calculation with dynamic inputs for print orders and share instant quotes with customers. 
• Inventory management: Print businesses know all the orders and requirements through their storefront. This helps them to maintain the inventory, avoiding stockout or overstocking. Print businesses can set triggers to get updates about the available stock at regular intervals if required. 
• Design approvals: When 67% of people are demanding faster turnarounds, it is vital to bring a solution that avoids to-and-fro for print file preparation. Print businesses can have a defined design approval process, ensuring customers' designs are ready for printing. 
• Product customisation: It is crucial to stand out by making the products unique. From large format to photobook, personalize every product and offer customers a wide range of ready-to-use templates. 
• Workflow automation: All the tasks involved in printing workflow can be easily automated to reduce human dependency and deliver accurate results. With the help of print workflow automation, print businesses get the freedom to define their workflow and focus on quality prints. 

Streamlining print business operations
Earlier print businesses had to take orders from walk-ins, emails, or calls, leading to print issues and delays due to manual errors. Web2print helps to focus on production rather than the backend process from accepting orders to shipment. 

A flexible print software will remove complications and limitations in the print business. It aims to promote customer satisfaction and personalisation for quality printing. Print service providers can increase their efficiency in operations with reduced errors, faster turnaround, and better engagement. It is easier to define complex products with simple clicks. 

Also, if required, they can let vendors fulfil orders under their brand name, delivering a better experience and fostering repeat customers. More people seek sustainable solutions, and web2print ensures minimal utilisation of resources and manual records. 

The future of automation
When you plan to scale your printing business, there is no sense of ignoring security, inefficiencies, or lower productivity, leading to significant loss. Looking ahead, customers will expect accurate and faster turnarounds for all types of prints. 

It is all about resolving the challenges of web2print while removing human error, time, and cost from print operations. Technologies are bringing customisable print stores to deliver personalized experiences and offer customers a wide range of print services. 

It will innovate the print process with higher productivity, orders, and efficiency. Web2print is all about handling more print orders with fine-tuned printing process automation and minimal human dependency. 

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(Naimish Patel is the AVP, sales of OnPrintShop. As a skilled SaaS expert and a web2print specialist, he has helped numerous print service businesses design unparalleled and smooth customer journeys for their clients.)