Norton, speaking at yesterday’s PRINTplusX workshop on value-added printing (VAP), called for the connection between printers and designers to be restored to the days of the stronger bonds that were broken by the introduction of the Macintosh and DTP.

"Engage with designers and use our knowledge. We understand print and the web and we know the limitations of the internet. Websites are always in RGB, but print has so much more to offer," he stated.

Peter Stead, retail print director at Formgraphics Retail, opened the event by highlighting the strategic use of value-added print techniques by retailers. "Value-added techniques allow us to capture the imagination and capture customer spend.

"Print is often the first thing a potential client will see. Does it reflect the brand? Is it compelling? Is there a call to action?" said Stead, while defining retail print collateral as falling into three categories: does not need VAP, should have VAP, and where VAP is essential.

Louisa Moger, marketing director at Richard Edward, provided an inspirational case study, charting how the company has successfully moved itself up the value chain with clients.

"Value-added printing is not a choice, it’s mandatory," she said. "If we hadn’t understood this we would have been just another statistic among print’s many casualties.

"We had to think more innovatively and identify customers for whom print has a value that is worth paying for."

The workshop concluded with a creative break-out session where delegates let their imaginations run wild by specifying an array of printing and finishing techniques to create high-impact promotional pieces for a fictitious brand.