What does it do?
Designer is a cloud-based print personalisation service intended to make it easy for online print customers to upload their own designs, then edit and integrate them into pre-defined templates for pretty well any type of printed goods.
Typically these will be personalised B2C items: greetings and business cards, photo albums, mugs, garments, jigsaws, canvases, personalised children’s books, calendars and so on. It can also be used for more B2B-oriented items such as business cards, brochures, signs, banners, etc. Antigro offers a wide range of preset templates and will work with customers to develop new ones based on their own artwork files.
The editing features make some use of AI in the ability to cut out head-and-shoulders shots from backgrounds, even working on smartphones with selfies. With most product types there’s a feature to preview the finished item in 3D on-screen.
The system then processes them into print-ready files and delivers them to the printer together with job instructions.
Designer is not a commercial ordering system as such, but it can work with e-commerce sites such as Shopify or Etsy, as well as dedicated web-to-print systems via APIs and the like.
When was it launched and what are the target markets?
The developer, Antigro, is based in Krakow, Poland. It grew out of a development project for a local printer some years ago, after which the founders decided to put it on the general market at the beginning of 2019. There are about 20 UK users already.
We spoke to Waclaw Mostowski, co-founder and chief revenue officer of Antigro, and Marcin Majda, CEO and co-founder.
The name Antigro may look a little odd to English readers, but Mostowski says it’s a contraction of the Ancient Greek “antigráfos” and means, roughly, “copying the image”. Designer itself has all its menus and setups in proper English, however.
Target markets are any operation that wants to offer items that customers can personalise/customise and order online. These can range from individuals with an Etsy site through to enterprise-level companies.
Typically these will be service providers with their own printing and finishing facilities, but Mostowski says it works equally well with small design and creative operations that offer the goods then pass the print-ready files to outside print services – Antigro will deliver the files directly to the printers if required.
How does it work?
This is a Cloud-based service, running on AWS servers, so there is essentially unlimited scalability for volume. It can also work through APIs created by Antigro to integrate with other systems and services (e-commerce shop-fronts, ERPs, other W2P ordering systems, local MIS and so on). There is no user app – everything is accessed through web browsers.
A customer initially works with Antigro to create a set of products that can be personalised to some extent. Some items will already be in Antigro’s library, but new ones can be created to order.
Once the product set is published online (though an e-commerce or W2P site if required), the end-customer sees a list of objects and can choose from lists of variables such as colours, typeface, size, style, then choose to enter text or upload images where appropriate. There are variable data upload facilities for lists of names and the like for business cards, personalised books and so on. The user interface and any product branding can be ‘white label’ if needed.
Antigro is proud of its multi-image collage feature, which arranges uploaded sets of images for items such as cards, calendars, canvases, mugs, etc. Mostowski claims that the ability to set up collages within shapes, including large type characters, is unique. “Multi-image collages cost the same to print but can be more of a revenue opportunity,” he says.
Designer supports the creation of DTF (direct to film) heat transfers with transparent surrounds, which are particularly popular with US users, Mostowski says.
Antigro has integrated AI editing features, with more on the way. “Currently we use AI for cutting out people’s faces from backgrounds, it works pretty well for three-quarters or side views,” says Majda. “We’re working on new AI features like photo upscaling, photo to cartoon features, and cutting out the whole human body or animals like dogs and cats. For AI we use systems trained by us and external services. Long term we’d like to have only models trained by us.”
This is still a work in progress, says Mostowski. A new version was due to have been introduced by the time this article is published. “We’ll have an ‘adjustment and try again’ feature,” says Mostowski.
File output options are PDF, PNG, JPEG or SVG (for vectors). The PDFs can also contain vectors, and can have spot colour layers for embellishment or cut lines. Colour models can be RGB or CMYK, with Fogra39 or the client’s choice of profile.
Multi-part items, typically garments, can be supplied as separate panels with marks for cutting and sewing.
“We generate a print-ready file, with white bleed, grommet hole marks, etc. It is 98% print ready. For large-format multi-object printing, there is automatic nesting to save on materials. We can generate mirror edges for canvases, bar codes, with file naming conventions and upload to FTP if needed.”
Print instructions are also generated. “We can provide our clients with this information in a way they want,” says Mostowski.
“We can inform them via API or prepare a separate sheet with the order details. Delivery addresses are on the e-commerce platform side, we don’t collect this data. We can integrate with the order management system as well.”
All jobs are stored by Antigro for 90 days, but clients can download the job files for permanent storage on their systems.
What’s the USP?
It’s a mix of technology features and service levels, according to Mostowski. “Our biggest advantage is that we are not focusing on a market for thousands of clients. We are happy to work with small businesses. We don’t want to compete with Zakeke, Loomis, etc. We want to help customers who have been thinking about an in-house solution. There is no task that we are not able to solve. We have really smart developers and a great creative team.”
How easy is it to use?
Clients are assigned an Antigro service manager to help with setting up, with Zoom meetings and person-to-person support. “There are online help FAQs, tutorial videos, or project management calls,” says Mostowksi. “There are tutorials for end-customers too, for example how to set up transparent backgrounds for DTF.”
What does it cost?
The initial configuration process for the sets of items, user interface menus, etc is charged for, with costs typically ranging from £1,000 to £8,000, says Mostowski – 75% of customers pay £5,000 or less, he adds.
After that there is a per-order fee payable to Antigro, which is essentially commission. This is negotiable for volumes and job types (books, hoodies whatever).
specifications
System requirements web browser access to Cloud service, API integration where needed
Supported output formats PDF, PNG, JPEG or SVG
Contact Antigro www.antigrodesigner.com +48 12 881 06 66
ALTERNATIVES
Infigo
This UK based developer offers a full web-to-print system that incorporates end-customer customisation if needed. These customers can edit from a preset template, or create a new design, working on phones or tablets as well as PCs. New product templates can be set up in Adobe InDesign via Infigo’s own Invent plugin. Customer-personalisable items can be set up in Infigo MegaEdit, to create variable PDF templates using Infigo’s Designer plugin for Adobe Acrobat. 3D previews can be created. It creates print-ready files with instructions and can integrate with the user’s MIS if required.
Contact Infigo www.infigo.com 0330 460 0071
Pixfizz
This London and Barcelona based company offers print personalisation as a cloud service, with ‘white label’ unbranded displays. It can use supplied templates or users can create their own. Pixfizz has a design tool for users to create their own products, with phone-friendly user interfaces. There’s scope for end-user customisation at any level. Files are delivered as either PDFs or layered JPGs, with job tickets in any format. There’s scope for API integration into MIS and other ordering systems. There are no setup or licensing fees. Customers can choose between low subscription charges and higher per-item fees, or vice versa, and can change when they want.
Contact Pixfizz www.pixfizz.com
VPress Coreprint
Another UK based full-service web-to-print developer, established for 20 years. It offers unlimited storefronts in any language, with personalisation and variable data support. Depending on the package chosen, functions include asset management, RFQs, configurable approvals, print ready file generation, PDF validation, stock ordering, outsource management, links to MIS and accounts, workflows and ERP/CRM. VPress says it can automate the entire process, “from shopping to shipping.”
Contact VPress www.vpress.com 01242 246970
Zakeke
This Italian developer offers a similar international service to Antigro but on a larger scale, with print-ready files as one of a range of personalisable options which also includes giftware, clothing, food and beverages, and furniture. The system can integrate with a wide range of e-commerce sites. Zakeke offers three setup apps for clients: Visual Product Customizer, for web-to-print and engraving; 3D Product Configurator for creating objects with variable features; and 3D/AR Viewer for displaying 3D items. There are three standard subscription models, starting at £10.43/month for 25 customisable products and a 1.9% transaction fee per order; then £34.93/month for up to 50 items and a 1.8% transaction fee; then £69.93/month for up to 200 items with a 1.7% transaction fee. Larger requirements can be negotiated, says Zakeke.
Contact Zakeke www.zakeke.com
USER REVIEWS
It’s been one of the best investments we’ve made and has ended up saving us so much time – and money. The design software is frequently mentioned in our customer reviews and in fact we find clients are now disappointed if they’re not able to design their own stationery using Antigro. Customer support we’ve received from Antigro is second to none” John Lally Owner, Taverncreative, Ashford, Kent
The reason I settled on Antigro was the capability to personalise my complex designs, such as calendars. And now I also have the flexibility to upload designs myself. As my business expanded, the proofing process of sending proofs to customers and making changes was becoming too lengthy, Antigro dramatically cut down this time and has even assisted in website creation” Katie Tallentire Personal Moments, Consett
