On your marks, get set, go! Once again this year, the Online Print Symposium in Munich was on our agenda in early March. As in previous years, we were there as a premium partner and had the opportunity to introduce our “rissc universe” to the approximately 300 attendees.

Although the outlook for OPS 2020 wasn’t exactly positive—as was to be expected—due to the onset of the COVID-19 crisis, canceling the event was never an option for us. This made it all the more delightful to discover not only many familiar faces from the industry but also plenty of new ones among the attendees. With around 300 participants, the Infinity Hotel in Munich was once again well-attended this year and provided the perfect backdrop for our now-familiar blue “rissc universe.” Visually, however, there was a small but no less important addition—bright green balloons now adorned our booth alongside the blue ones, and within just a few minutes, they were already sparking the first inquiries.

The answer to the riddle became clear to anyone who looked not only at the new color scheme but also at the printed logos. Alongside Shopify, a brand-new logo—that of printformer.io—now took its place there, as OPS was the perfect event for us to present our new app to a wider industry audience. Attentive visitors had already been given a creative hint by our CEO Alex Sperrfechter in the teaser videos for OPS (click here for the VIDEO ), and anyone who wanted a live explanation afterward had plenty of opportunity to get one.

Our printformer.io app, a version of our printformer specifically designed for seamless integration with Shopify, now combines the best of both worlds. After implementing the first integration of this kind in Logolini®Präsente’s Shopify store at the end of last year (click here for the article), we continued to rely on the innovative e-commerce platform Shopify as our e-commerce backbone with its presentation at OPS 2020. Even before the current COVID-19 crisis, the topics of transformation and digitalization posed a real challenge for many companies in the printing and media services industry. The crisis now clearly demonstrates how important it is to address these issues in a forward-looking and sustainable manner. If not yesterday, then all the more so today. With the release of printformer.io, we’re giving companies of all kinds an easy way to overcome these previously insurmountable entry barriers in the Web2Publish sector and are supporting the process through this integration of the printformer software into Shopify, which can be implemented in just a few steps. Anyone who wants—and needs—to seize the moment right now can set up their own shop in just a few minutes and launch a professional print shop with an editor and print data upload feature on the market using the printformer.io app. Never has fast time-to-market without lengthy implementation processes been more in demand than it is now—as evidenced by the feedback from interested visitors at our booth at the Online Print Symposium. Those who want to learn more can find additional information in advance at www.printformer.io.

For us, the days at OPS in Munich were once again a resounding success. The abundance of positive feedback, the generally upbeat atmosphere, and the many interesting conversations and inquiries all underscore the significance of this event for us. With the launch of our new app, we’ve struck a chord within the industry, offering many companies a genuine option for securing their future prospects. Reason enough for us to continue impressing others with our passion for print, our experience in Web-to-Print and Web-to-Publish, and our customer-focused software solutions. We are already looking forward to 2021 and the next OPS in Munich.

Everyone is talking about web-to-print systems. In this article about our client Utsch24.de, we’ll take a closer look at exactly how our printformer can be used in a practical and straightforward way.

Every car has one, yet it rarely gets a second glance: the license plate. Behind it all is Erich Utsch AG in Siegen, where millions of license plates are manufactured each year for customers around the world. For over five decades, the company has been the global market leader in technologies and comprehensive system solutions for the production, personalization, registration, and identification of license plates. In addition, the company offers a wide range of products, such as blank license plates, vehicle recycling systems, laminators, and laser coding equipment. Alongside traditional license plates, the product lineup also includes “windshield labels,” license plate holders, and FUN signs.

How can a license plate manufacturer use our web-to-print system? Utsch AG, in collaboration with the agency dotfly, has developed a creative service for its private customers: an online store where users can design a custom license plate holder, a personalized license plate, or a decorative “FUN” sign. Clicking the “Configure” button opens our modified HTML5 editor in a mobile-first version, making it usable on a tablet.

The idea behind Mobile First is that the layout works on mobile devices first. Until now, optimization for desktop screens has been the top priority. This means that the Mobile First version is limited to the essentials. The clear advantage here is that there’s no need to use an additional app.