Web-to-print FAQ What is Web-to-Print? How Does a Web-to-Print Portal Work? Why is web-to-print better than offline literature fulfillment? Who pays for the service? Where are your orders manufactured? When can your users expect to receive their orders? What is Web-to-Print? Web-to-print solutions allow customers to create, customize, proof, order, and track printed products via an Internet web page. How Does a Web-to-Print Portal Work? A web-to-print portal from DocuStar uses freely-downloadable software including a standard web browser (Microsoft Internet Explorer, Mozilla FireFox, Apple Safari, etc.) and Adobe Acrobat Reader. To access their site, a user enters the correct web address and when prompted, their user name and password to log in securely. The site provides users with access to the following tools: Comprehensive user profile (text & graphics) A platform for creating and ordering customized documents such as sales literature, ad slicks, point-of-sale materials, etc. PDF soft proofing List management including creation (on site), import, and acquisition A method for combining list data and customization to create and order personalized direct mail Company store for stock print and promotional items Integrated e-commerce including credit card billing and our unique GAS TANK option Digital Asset Management Exportable reports Online editorial and approval Why is web-to-print better than offline literature fulfillment? If you are currently managing fulfillment offline, you are probably familiar with its limitations. First, orders are typically submitted via fax or on the phone, where they must be entered manually. This is costly and typically occupies the time of people that could be focused on core objectives. Further, it typically requires a published catalog of items that are difficult to promote and can quickly become outdated. Offline fulfillment makes customization and personalization painful and slow to execute. Finally, inventory, budgeting, and accounting can be difficult to reconcile. Creating a web-to-print portal with DocuStar is easy. We manage the project so you can remain focused on your mission. We identify your specific requirements and tailor the site to your needs. Each site is branded to the customer, providing a look and feel that is similar to your web site or other applications. Content can come from almost any format and we manage the process of mapping variable fields and loading your templates on the site. If you don't have content or need to update current materials, we can do it for you. Once the site is built the selling begins! Together, we need to convince potential site users to adopt this beneficial technology. A web-to-print portal from DocuStar features an intuitive workflow that leads users through all of the decisions necessary to complete an order. Our clear instructions and online training are designed to help users who are not technically skilled. To engage users we provide a customized plan for deployment that can include live training, site marketing collateral, promotions, and ongoing communication about successes of the program. Who pays for the service? Web-to-print portals are hosted, maintained, and supported by DocuStar. This greatly reduces or eliminates any initial investment in software. While we do charge a nominal monthly access fee that is based on the number of expected users, the majority of revenue generated by the site comes from the daily orders we receive. Our unique e-commerce models give our client's the option to budget accordingly. In some cases, clients choose to budget internally and request summary billing by user or individual budget center. Other customers prefer that their users provide a credit card. DocuStar accepts VISA, MasterCard, and American Express. All card transactions are processed by Authorize.net. More about Authorize.net: 136,000 merchants trust Authorize.net to manage their payment transactions Authorize.net operates with 128 bit Secure Socket Layer (SSL) security Visa Cardholder Information Security Program Certified Mastercard Site Data Protection Program Certified In addition to the above, DocuStar also offers its unique GAS TANK e-commerce solution. This payment method allows your firm to place funds in each specific user's account. The user can spend this money to purchase materials. Once the funds are exhausted, the site can switch to credit card presentment or simply shut down until funds are replenished. In addition to budgeting proactively, this feature allows you to reward performance and efficiently distribute cooperative marketing funds. Where are your orders manufactured? Some in the web-to-print business believe it is better to focus on software and leave manufacturing as an afterthought. Others believe it is best to rely on a distributed network of facilities. At DocuStar, our objective is to ensure the integrity of your brand. To accomplish this, we believe it is best to centralize manufacturing and fulfillment of your products. This allows us to control quality throughout the process; from the time a product is placed on the site to the last time it is ever ordered. While this approach requires a small amount of planning on the part of users, it pays huge dividends in product quality and consistency. Orders received from our web-to-print portals are immediately sent to in our state-of-the-art Cincinnati, OH facility and automatically scheduled for production. Orders are quickly routed to the appropriate equipment for manufacture, finishing, packing, and delivery. When can your users expect to receive their orders? While customer requirements may vary, most orders ship within 48 hours. Users have the option to select the approved shipping method that best suits their needs, including overnight, 2nd day, ground, or local shipping. Want to find out more? Contact us.