THE COMMERCIAL PRINTER
Manufacturers do not have a responsibility, but they do have an invested interest in your business being successful.
In the past, printers have known how to make money out of their machinery, but the market has changed.
There are various ways for the customer to spend money on getting a message across, so it is important that the manu-facturer is able to help you use your equip-ment in areas that you may not have been operating in, or do not even realise are available.
The difference with digital to conventional litho is that there are click charges involved so that means that the supplier has an ongoing interest in you producing more printed pages – as you increase your revenue they increase theirs.
Neil Long, managing director of Longridge Print

THE DIGITAL MANUFACTURER
We believe we have a responsibility to provide customers with the tools and expertise to communicate the benefits of digital print and help them maximise their business investment. We have developed a comprehensive programme of tools and training courses called Capture Business Success to help our customers market and sell the value of digital print and develop new business opportunities.
By using business development tools and courses offered by equipment manu-facturers like ourselves, customers can develop unique selling propositions and establish a business based on innovation, sustainability and performance.
HP’s market development programme collaborates with agencies, enterprises and associations to help drive increased end-user awareness and accelerate the adoption of digital print.
Robert Stabler, UK&Ireland country manager for HP Indigo

THE BOOK PRINTER
It is ultimately the customer’s responsibility to ensure any investment is made for the right reasons and will add value. However, the more successful manufacturers are aware that by offering business development tools they can increase the chances of a successful venture for both parties, which in today’s market can only be a good thing.
So it is probably unfair to say they have a responsibility to help the customer, but it does make good commercial sense as what they want is to be involved with successful companies not struggling ones.
Allan Gray, production director of Ashford Colour Press