Printing Globally “By the Numbers”

Originally printed in Media Inc. Issue One 2008
- By Rich Lancaster

Recently we were asked by a large, local, corporate customer if we could find a way to help them coordinate printing projects globally. They specifically wanted to be able to control the project from Seattle, and to distribute a file to a printing facility close to where they wanted finished product delivered. And of course, they wanted the ability to print on any continent (OK, excluding Antarctica!).

We got to work on their specifications, and with some help from our corporate folks at Consolidated Graphics in Houston, we came up with the HubCast solution.

HubCast is a global network of print service providers (PSP’s) set up to provide what HubCast calls “distribute, then print” services, that can deliver “next day” while ensuring color consistency and finished quality. Most PSP’s currently provide digital printing services, but some also provide offset as well.

HubCast has done its homework, and as we peeled back the layers of what makes the HubCast service viable we were impressed with the standards they have put in place in order to ensure distributed projects are completed correctly in Tel Aviv as well as in Tokyo.

The fundamental concerns for any print buyer attempting to print overseas, and to also deliver overseas, are protecting brand image and ensuring quality. HubCast has solved for these concerns by implementing a set of standards that their providers have to conform to.

Color management is handled by training printers on GRACol 7.0 (www.gracol.org), the latest in color management. By strictly enforcing color management standards HubCast is able to ensure that a brochure printed in Shanghai to GRACol standard will be almost identical to one produced in Santiago.

To ensure that HubCast printers eliminate defects from their workflow, and final product, they are trained on Six Sigma workflow practices. Motorola invented Six Sigma and has claimed in excess of $17 billion of savings through 2006 as a result. 
The final piece of the HubCast puzzle is a web-based “black box” order entry tool that utilizes Job Definition Format (JDF) to transmit the proposed project from Seattle to Singapore. JDF is a way of packetizing a job description and moving it efficiently across the planet, and then from one piece of equipment to another until the job is complete.

So, what is the bottom line with all of this high tech wizardry and state-of-the-art color and workflow management?

Well, we tested the system. We configured a tri-fold brochure and HubCast had it run in Israel, Germany and China. They sent us the results for comparison. We then ran the same project on our GRACol 7.0 calibrated Epson proofing system and our brand new iGen Digital Press. We then called in the client and they reviewed all 5 products.
What was clear straight away was that “printing by the numbers” had come of age. All of the brochures, from 4 countries and 5 different devices, were very close in terms of color and quality. It is remarkable how accurate these new tools are and how much control can be managed centrally while printing globally.

The best news is that by using new technologies you can now save on travel time, shipping cost and make ready’s, which makes printing by the numbers more environmentally friendly too.