But some argue that this represents dangerous turn of events. Your average print boss, they say, does not typically have the expertise to properly specify and manage a range of complex IT systems and as a result, print businesses will wind up with systems that are unsuitable – being either overly complicated or underpowered – unnecessarily costly and poorly run.

Others, though, argue that a print boss doesn’t need to know how these systems work, they should instead concentrate on running the business and leave the techy stuff to a suitably qualified employee or third party.

Like software itself, then, it’s a complex topic. It’s made more complicated by the fact that there are two ways of bringing software systems into a company: buying pre-packaged systems in from third parties or building systems yourself in-house. Common wisdom would suggest that for the former, little knowledge of software is required, where as for the latter, you’d have to be some sort of Bill Gates/Steve Jobs hybrid. In reality, neither assumption holds true.

Take building your own system in-house first of all. Workflow, MIS and W2P systems are complicated enough to describe to a layperson, let alone build. Yet both Anthony Thirlby, managing director of ESP Colour, and Gary Peeling, managing director of Precision Printing, say they have built software systems
in-house with only a very basic knowledge of programming and
software processes.

Thirlby has just taken the development of ESP’s workflow and MIS system – outsourced for the last seven months to a company in Reading – in-house, and he says he has no IT knowledge above a general interest in what software can do for him. Similarly, Barking-based Precision Printing developed its own workflow system, Oneflow, in 2009, despite Peeling’s only prior experience of this area being when he was a child and he programmed his Sinclair ZX Spectrum home computer so that his name repeated across the screen.

What both men have found is that having the programming knowledge themselves has not been necessary, what has been crucial is having the trust in a third party or employee to do the programming for them.

"I really didn’t know a thing about programming," says Peeling. "However, it doesn’t matter so much if the MD of the company doesn’t have a very in-depth understanding, in exactly the same way that an MD wouldn’t necessarily need to be able to run a printing press. The important thing is to have a couple of people on your workforce who do have a good understanding."

Bespoke result
Thirlby agrees. He explains that his decision to bring development of his software in-house was because he feels he can get a more bespoke system as a result. Not having the expertise himself is no barrier, he says, to being able to do this. He has taken on a specialist developer to fill the holes in his own knowledge. He tells the developer what he wants from the system and then that developer puts it into practice. But that’s only half that developer’s job, says Thirlby.

"The other half is looking at what we do and coming up with smarter ways of doing it," he explains. "That’s not something that I can second guess. He will spot things that I can’t."

Those reading may have a couple of issues with this approach. Firstly, handing over control to an employee may be bringing some print bosses out into a cold sweat. Secondly, buying in expertise sounds pretty expensive. That sort of outlay would be fine for the larger firms, but for smaller ones it is likely to be out of reach. For some, then, building up a knowledge themselves would be the cheaper and more comfortable solution.

However, trying to find the time to build up the necessary knowledge of programming, not to mention developing the actual software itself, at the same time as running a successful print business is a little ambitious to say the least. And Peeling points out that, in fact, the financial outlay required to bring in outside help does not have to be as onerous as you may at first think.

"A lot of firms wouldn’t necessarily be able to employ the number of people that we have," says Peeling, who started with one dedicated software employee in 2009 and now has a team of five. "But just having one person onsite who has a sound understanding of HTML, or having one of your existing employees trained in this area, is really worthwhile."

Thirlby adds that you don’t even have to employ someone full time. "There are always IT people who are available on a short-term basis – consultants who might be able to help develop a package for a reasonable price," he explains. "People say this sort of thing’s too expensive, but actually we might spend £300 for someone to come in for a day, and you could see a huge boost in profits from the automation that might bring."

So building a system in house may not require the IT knowledge some would believe – a clear idea of what they wanted and the finance to bring in a developer to make that happen is all that Peeling and Thirlby really needed. But not many printers would want the hassle of building their own system, or have the finance to be able to do so. That’s why the majority opt for third-party solutions from the plethora of print software providers on the market. And here, common consensus says, you don’t need any software knowledge, you just buy something in and let it get on with the job. Like building you own software, however, common consensus appears to be wrong.

Paul Calland, managing director at commercial printer Cypher Digital is adamant that there is no room for Ludditism in print. He argues that, when it comes to third-party software products, a lack of IT knowledge could see printers buying expensive, comprehensive systems of which they only use a very small part.

"Smaller companies, such as ours, often pay for very complex systems and end up only using 10% of their functionality," he says.

The reason they are paying for that level of service, says Calland, is because they do not have the IT knowledge to penetrate what are often the inaccessible sales pitches and specifications lists of pre-packaged software. They are, in effect, bamboozled out of their cash. 

That said, Phillip Rodgers, technical manager at web-to-print software provider RedTie, says this is no longer the case and that the market has moved to a position where it understands some bespoke programming is needed to meet customer needs. He argues that it does not require a print company to have IT knowledge to achieve this.

"It’s never really a problem that people don’t have enough knowledge of software; they can still suggest ideas," he says, explaining that RedTie has enough knowledge of both print and software to successfully translate and apply these ideas. "If you can imagine something for your business and think that maybe computers or software might be able to solve that for you, and it sounds like a good idea, then that’s as much as I think people need to know."

Where he does think a working knowledge is useful is for promotion and problem solving. He says that a print company’s sales and customer service staff should know the basic processes involved in the software being run, if not the minutiae of how it works, so they can explain the benefits properly to clients. In addition, he says that when problems occur, it is easier for companies like RedTie to help if the printer has a working knowledge of what is happening.

Learn as you go
But a working knowledge, whether you are buying a system in or building your own, does not necessarily have to be present from the start. What is key, argues Peeling, is the willingness to ask questions. That that will teach you as much as you ever need to know.

"We really knew nothing at the start, but when you are working with developers to set up a system, you acquire an understanding of what is going on – you ask questions like ‘why is this not happening?’ or ‘why did that not work first time?’ and you gradually learn through the answers to those questions," he explains.

So, while software may well have eased itself into a dominant position within print companies, it does not necessarily follow that print bosses around the country have to quickly sign themselves up to a programming degree. Yes, working knowledge of IT systems is an advantage, but as Peeling and Thirlby have shown, software skills are not essential to success in this area. What is important, as Peeling says, is to ask questions and not simply opt out of IT matters – this way you end up with a system you want and that works whether you make your own or buy one in, no matter what your knowledge of IT