Product Rollout: Introducing PlanWell EasyPrint for KIP!

At IRgA earlier this year, PlanWell and The PEiR Group released a fantastic new product, one that establishes the GOLD standard for planroom features.

This new feature from PlanWell and KIP connects KIP printers directly with PlanWell Enterprise, the world’s largest planroom.

Your customers will have touch-screen access to their PlanWell documents via the KIP IPS controller. With just a few touches, your customers can be instantly viewing and printing their PlanWell documents! It’s as easy as pointing your finger.

This new technology is compatible with all the KIP IPS systems (including your existing FMs), however it is ideal when paired with the new KIP3100, also released at the IRgA.

The new KIP 3100 significantly improves the KIP 3000 technology, already the most widely distributed wide-format LED machine. The 3100 is 50 percent faster than the 3000 and features other improvements as well.

This partnership between PlanWell and KIP has allowed us to bring you this technology. The PlanWell EasyPrint for KIP technology sets PlanWell apart from other planrooms by offering jobsite and convenience printing like nobody else can.

Enhancing The Global Print and Information Network

By Shaun Meany, The PEiR Group

Earlier this year, I mentioned the need for our industry to begin thinking of itself as a global print and information exchange network. Many of your customers work on time-sensitive projects and time, as we all know, has become a precious commodity in today’s world. Save someone time and they’ll remember you – and come back so you can do it for them again.

I believe we all also know what’s happening to shipping costs these days. FedEx and other express shipping companies are boosting charges to offset the higher cost of fuel. These increased costs are forcing more businesses to search for alternative delivery options. And this presents us with another opportunity: offer your customers same-day printing at remote locations.

Get it? Time and money: the two most important benefits one business can offer another. A powerful and persuasive combination.

As long as we’re talking “powerful and persuasive,” The PEiR Group and the PlanWell™ network is another dynamic package your customers need to know about. As a member of The PEiR Group and with access to PlanWell™, you increase your value proposition and your revenues by offering this service.

Remote Printing gives every PEiR member the power to offer a convenient printing option to customers collaborating or working on projects in areas far from their home base. Ordering documents from a local reprographer to have them printed by another reprographer closer to the delivery location is a huge and largely overlooked competitive advantage. Proper handling of these remote printing orders, by both the sending and receiving reprographer, is critical to the success of this service.

Outlined below are some Suggested Operating Procedures for Remote Printing:

All communication with the customer must be handled by the sending reprographer. It is vital that prior to sending a remote order you have a clear understanding of the customer’s printing needs, special instructions and due date.
Remote Print orders must be considered as high of a priority as any other customer orders being received.
Sending reprographers must place a preflight phone call to the receiving reprographer.
No delivery guarantees must be given to the customer until this contact has been made. This will avoid issues in which a receiving reprographer is sent an order with a delivery timeframe that cannot be met.
Also, pricing needs to be established with the receiving companies and should therefore be discussed in the preflight phone call. In the near future we would like to establish a pricing model that can be used as a guide.
The sending reprographer also needs to assess the types of services, delivery capabilities, time zone and hours of operation of the receiving reprographer.
When sending orders through the PlanWell Enterprise Admin Console, the list of potential receiving locations will include all The PEiR Group PlanWell Enterprise users as well as all ARC companies.
Receiving reprographers who have PlanWell are responsible for updating the order status in the job tracker to show when the order has been received and when the order has been shipped.
Sending reprographers desiring more order status information may discuss that during the preflight call; however, any additional order status updates are at the discretion of the receiving reprographer.
Receiving reprographers must send an invoice to the sending reprographer within a reasonable period of time (i.e. 24 to 48 hours)

I know moving towards remote printing will be challenging for many of you. To help you understand why reprographers are offering this service I felt it would be helpful if we shared comments from several PEiR members who are currently passing along the benefits of this powerful offering to their customers.

Their words may better show how Remote Print is quickly becoming the printing method of the future.

Thanks,

Shaun

PEiR Group Members Get A Boost From Remote Print Offering

Shaun outlines the benefits and suggested procedures of remote printing in this week’s “Corner.” Here in the PEiR office, we’ve seen a definite increase in this type of printing. In the growing global marketplace, remote printing will be the saving grace of those key customers whose printing needs extend beyond recognized borders.

A sampling of PEiR members outline their experiences with remote printing below:

“In February 2008, I was contacted by Shaun McMenamey of Advantage Repro in New York City. Seems he had a print job originating through his Boston location that needed distribution to bidders in the Sacramento, CA area. The details (price, shipping, timing, invoicing) were quickly agreed upon.

Working with Patrick Astete, Operations Manager in Boston, we downloaded drawings and specs from the Advantage Repro FTP site. Patrick then furnished the list of bidders in the Sacramento area.

We printed and distributed. It was an economical and efficient operation that seems to have worked well for Winslow’s, Advantage Repro and the clients.”

Lou Zalar, Winslow Reprographics, Inc.


“We have been part of remote printing a number of times. For the most part, remote printing has offered a successful solution for the customer, the local printer and us (or us as the local printer)

The trick to making remote printing successful is really no trick at all; it just takes preparation and communication. The better you prepare your project before you send it, and the better you communicate during the project, the better off everyone will be. Remember to follow up with the local print shop and the client.

In addition, if you are the local printer don't ask for a printing rate higher than you would be asking others to do for you if the shoe was on the other foot. In the past, we have had printers ask us to do printing for as low as .055 when they are only prepared to offer .075 when we have tried to send them a similar job. That won't work. Be fair and let's help each other make a profit.

Good Luck!”

Matt Dalton, Certified Reprographics

If you need a “print partner” but are not an Enterprise user and do not have access to the list of receiving companies as outlined in Shaun’s article, your resources are: The PEiR Group Intranet as well as the team at the PEiR office, who can be reached at: (925)658-0200.

Are you Qualified?

By David Swider/Sub Hub

We keep hearing about digital solutions with bid communications and how our AEC prospects and clients are asking for reprographers to provide those services. How do we qualify these prospects for digital solutions? The answer is simple. Look for the classic following traits:

1.) Web sites containing project photographs – Companies who post job site photographs or list recent artist renderings of projects they have completed, are just one step from making their web site a functional revenue and efficiency platform. Say you have seen their project photographs and follow with: “have you ever given thought to posting digital files on current projects you are bidding?” can only get them thinking. This simple question will lead to a discussion of how executing this simple step will drive more competitive bids on bid day. Easy.
2.) Companies with .ftp Sites – Companies with repositories of digital files are even more in need of your digital solutions. You may qualify the potential digital revenue opportunities by asking:
a. Who manages the digital files on your .ftp site?
b. Can your contractor track who has been in to see those drawings?
c. How often does your competitor visit your .ftp site and bid against you?
d. Are you paying for the .ftp site and a bid communications program?
More often than not more than one system being used and it will be fraught with risk, inefficiency and lack of project control. This is a definite conversation starter – use it.
3.) Smaller General Contracting Companies - Family-owned and smaller contractors
are prime targets for digital solutions because: Dad is the tradesman, Mom is the bookkeeper, Son and Daughter are crew and bid manager respectively. Quite often the “Mom and Pop” shops can do the same work as the larger contractor; they just lack the resources to manage the bid process effectively. Ask these firms to describe their current bid process and be ready to take notes feverishly because they will lead you to a digital solution every time.

Okay, what’s the moral of the story? Every one of your AEC prospects and customers has a need for a digital solution – you just need to ask! If you want to further discuss this topic feel free to contact me at:

dswider@sub-hub.com

Crest Scholarship Application Deadline

The cutoff date for submitting applications for the Crest Scholarships is Thursday July 31, 2008.

Please go to www.crestfoundation.org for details and to submit a scholarship application.

A “P.S.” from Shaun

The PEiR Group wants to inform all IRgA Members to visit the CREST Foundation's Scholarship page at http://www.crestfoundation.org/

As you may have heard, the mission of the CREST Foundation is to fund and award scholarships to children of reprographics industry employees who wish to pursue a better education, but who lack the financial means to do so.

General Eligibility Requirements:
Student must have a parent currently employed by a reprographics company (IRgA member) for at least five years
Be a US citizen or legal permanent resident
Must apply for federal financial aid using the FAFSA (Free Application For Student Aid)
Be enrolling on a full-time basis at a college or university
Have a minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA
Provide recommendations from at least two qualified adults
Please inform your employees of this unique scholarship opportunity!

Thank you!

Plotting Challenges and Answers for AutoDesk Files

By Dan Davis

While many plotting packages claim to provide the ability to print DWG files, there will be times when they do not print all elements correctly. This is because they all use the same imaging library, which is based on a reverse engineering of the AutoCad DWG file Format.

For some reason, AutoCad has maintained their DWG format should be proprietary. As a reprographer and developer I really never understood this, as it limited the usefulness of the DWG format to interact with other software that was used in design and construction. For the reprographer, this meant that if they wanted to provide accurate output of DWG files for their customers they would need to purchase one or more licenses of AutoCad, and keep it current.

Owning AutoCad is really a double edged sword. On one hand, it gives you the ability to plot DWG files for your customers which is good, but it also gives you the ability to edit and change a customer’s DWG file. Once customers learn that you can change a DWG file, they tend to take advantage of that fact by asking you to make any number of changes which are difficult to charge for, but very easy to get blamed for if they don’t like the results! And of course keeping your AutoCad license current is a large expense.

After taking a good deal of heat about the difficulties involved with sharing DWG files with others, AutoCad finally realized they were missing the boat, and developed the DWF format. The original promise of the DWG format was that you would be able to share drawing information without compromising your valuable design files. In its early releases DWF was a “View only” format, which really served no useful purpose for the reprographer.

A few years back, AutoCad changed the DWF format to compete with Acrobat PDF files, which were rapidly becoming a good option for distributing CAD files, since DWF’s were so restrictive. AutoCad reacted by changing the DWF spec to allow better viewing, editing and finally, printing capabilities to the format. This new attitude from Autodesk was enhanced with the availability of free software which would allow you to view and print the two main Autodesk formats.

To view and print DWF files, you will want to download Autodesk Design Review:

http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/index?id=4086277&siteID=123112

To View and print DWG and DXF files, you will want AutoDesk DWG TrueView 2009

http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/index?id=6703438%26siteID=123112

Both of these products contain the full AutoCad print engine, which means that they should accurately render all elements of a DWG or DWF file. However, neither product handles batch printing, collated output or many of the productive features that you will get with a high end plotting program like MetaPrint. But it is nice to know that if you do run into a file which contains an element that MetaPrint or another program does not handle, one of these two applications will offer you an inexpensive way to troubleshoot the file.