GGP Media:
printformer, the
'calculation engine'
Let's take a closer look: how exactly does the Web-to-Print system function as a 'commercial tool'? With printformer, quotes can be generated for all types of print products. The system is universally applicable across the entire printing industry, allowing settings to be flexibly adapted to each specific product. Thanks to printformer's API functionality, the calculator can be integrated into any external system; at GGP Media, this is the Magento shop system. Before calculation, there are two options: fixed price lists and configurable functions. Firstly, an Excel file with pre-defined prices can be imported, and our Web-to-Print system links these with selectable attributes. This allows price combinations to be set individually for each customer. Secondly, attributes can be stored in the admin area, where an option, such as book finishing, is linked to a specific price. Depending on the settings and the product quantity, the price changes automatically.
The printformer therefore serves not only as a design tool , as demonstrated by the Utsch24.de online shop, but also enables the quick and easy calculation of books from GGP's '18 km high book tower'.
To illustrate the applications of Web-to-Print and how our printformer can be utilized, I will present several customer projects on this blog.
Symbolically speaking, GGP Media produces a volume of print products each day equivalent to a tower of 1 million items, reaching a height of 18 kilometers. Eight books are produced every second. This requires 70,000 tons of paper annually, an area equivalent to the Saarland region. The large-scale printing company has been part of the Bertelsmann Printing Group since early 2016. GGP Media's services are diverse, including pre-press services, the production of e-books and print products such as brochures, paperbacks, catalogs, and flyers, as well as finishing and logistics.
When terms like print orders, pre-press services, and catalogs are mentioned, Web-to-Print is never far behind. And indeed, this is the case. Our printformer is utilized at GGP Media as a powerful calculation tool for vast quantities of paper and countless print products. The Web-to-Print system is used, for example, to calculate the cost of a book with all its specifications, such as page count, material, and finishing. After the selection process is complete, a PDF file is generated and stored as a quote. Presenting a binding offer to customers is typically a time-consuming process; however, with the calculator, GGP Media can determine the cost of producing a book in just a few minutes.