Making Web-to-Print Less Scary · Douglas Gibson · CEO · Infigo
Web-to-print sounds like an obvious step toward automation.
Until you start thinking about APIs, MIS integration, product configuration, substrates, pricing rules, workflows, and all the data that needs to be connected.
Then it can suddenly feel rather complicated.
At LOUPE Americas in Chicago, Wayne Beckett meets longtime industry friend Doug Gibson of Infigo to discuss how the company is working to make web-to-print considerably easier to implement — particularly for startups and smaller businesses that may not have dedicated technical teams.
For Infigo, one of the biggest objectives is reducing onboarding time.
A web-to-print implementation that might historically have taken 30, 60, or even 90 days could increasingly be reduced to weeks — and eventually, perhaps, days — by automating more of the setup process.
AI is becoming part of that journey.
Instead of manually configuring every aspect of a product, Infigo is exploring ways for users to describe what they need in conversation and for the platform to automatically generate product structures, descriptions, settings, and other information.
That becomes particularly interesting in labels and packaging, where products can quickly become complex.
Materials, dimensions, finishes, pricing, quantities, artwork requirements, and production options must all be defined correctly before a customer can simply click Buy.
The ambition isn’t necessarily to automate 100% of everything.
If the platform can automatically prepare 60%, 70%, or 80%, customers can spend more time thinking about the business rather than configuring software.
Doug also makes another important point: you don’t necessarily need decades of printing experience to build a successful online print business.
He recalls meeting the founders of Packaging Lab when they were still considering entering the print market. They had virtually no printing experience at the time, but combined production technology, Infigo software, and the right partners to build what became a multimillion-dollar online business.
For Doug, that example highlights something central to Infigo’s approach.
Software matters.
But so do the people, knowledge, and experience surrounding it.
In this INKISH film, Wayne talks with Doug Gibson about web-to-print, labels, APIs, automation, onboarding, AI, startups, and why the next generation of online print platforms shouldn’t require customers to become software experts before they can start selling print.
Because automation only really works when it also makes things simpler.
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Thu September 17th
Why Run Your Dryer at 100% If You Don’t Nee...
Walk into many printing plants, and there is a simple approach to curing: Turn the dryer up to 100%. It works. Nobody wants to risk insufficient curing. But it isn't necessarily the smartest or most energy-efficient way to produce. At LOUPE Americas in Chicago, Wayne Beckett meets Anne from IST METZ to talk about the company's new SwapCure platform — shown publicly for the first time at the event — and several technologies that could change how converters think about curing. Flexibility is central to SwapCure. The platform is designed to enable converters to switch between different curing technologies, including infrared, LED, and conventional UV, depending on the application and production requirements. But perhaps one of the most interesting developments is FreeCure. Developed in collaboration with BASF, FreeCure enables UV curing without conventional photoinitiators, addressing a challenge that has traditionally limited UV technology in sensitive applications such as food packaging. IST METZ already has installations operating with the technology in flexible packaging, where reducing concerns around migration and odor can open opportunities for UV in applications where converters may previously have been reluctant to use it. Then there is SmartCure. Rather than simply setting every dryer to maximum power, SmartCure uses production information to predict the curing energy required for a particular job. Job parameters can be used to establish the dryer settings before production begins, and those settings can subsequently be stored and reused when the same work returns. That potentially means lower energy consumption, more repeatable production and — particularly for companies operating multiple sites — a more standardized approach to curing. It is another example of how AI can play a very practical role in print production: not generating content, but using production data to make equipment operate more intelligently. In this INKISH film, Wayne talks with Anne about SwapCure, FreeCure, SmartCure, LED, conventional UV, food packaging, energy consumption, and why curing technology is becoming considerably more flexible — and considerably smarter. Because sometimes improving production isn't about adding more power. It's about knowing exactly how much power you actually need.