Yet, if we want to envision a sustainable and harmonious future, we must change our attitudes and discourse, offer new solutions that embody the challenges of tomorrow, disrupt deeply rooted habits, approach growth differently, and recognize that there is not just one way of doing things.

Digital technologies, which commercial printing and the label industry have embraced for a long time, will inevitably contribute, whether we are convinced or reluctant, to providing new perspectives in service of projects and needs. Behind digitalization lies not only the printing aspect, which is often seen in opposition to conventional approaches like offset or flexography, but also a world of finishing, including embellishments such as varnish and foil stamping, as well as cutting, automated workflow management, and enhanced prepress control that bridges the gap between clients and production.

To embrace and perhaps anticipate these technologies, the key is to evolve the mindset, adopt a holistic approach, reconsider the relationship with clients and the market, and thus transform the company culture, allowing new capabilities to permeate and impact all levels of society.

Digital synergies

Web-to-print, continuously evolving in its approach to the market, anticipating needs, and delivering highly refined customer experiences, has directly benefited from the new capabilities offered by digital advancements. It certainly would not have revolutionized the market without this contribution. However, we must not forget that web-to-print and digital technologies mutually leverage and feed off each other to progress and gain market share, forming a virtuous spiral.

In turn, web-to-pack benefits from the capabilities provided by digital means dedicated to the packaging and point-of-sales industry.

This, in turn, justifies the development of new equipment and solutions by manufacturers. The combination of digital and web-to-pack undoubtedly contributes to democratizing access to simplified packaging solutions that were previously reserved for experts with minimum volumes.

It now allows any brand or project holder to launch, test the market, make mistakes, backtrack, and avoid imposing heavy commitments.

Rapid web-to-pack market growth

All of these factors contribute to the rapid growth of the market share captured by web-to-pack without impeding the traditional business conducted on a personal basis. Moreover, the increasing number of new product launches, special and limited editions, and the incredible trend of offering numerous variations of the same product—to cater to individual consumers’ preferred flavour, colour, etc.—all contribute to the explosion of demands that require online solutions coupled with digital production technologies. If these numerous packages are produced locally, directly within the workshops connected to the web-to-pack platform, the loop is closed.

We are witnessing the development of more or less advanced and transparent web-to-pack offerings, indicating that these solutions seem like El Dorados. However, let us not be mistaken. The production of packaging, even with digital equipment, requires well-controlled processes and technical know-how that are acquired over time, sometimes through setbacks. Some platforms simply act as intermediaries, selling products produced by local or exotic manufacturers, while others make the radical choice of controlling their processes and production in-house, despite the constraints and difficulties this process entails. However, they retain all the added value within their own company.

As with any epic journey, we are witnessing the creation, consolidation, disappearance, and rapid growth of companies until the market structure solidifies. In the meantime, ingenuity and creativity know no bounds, naturally pushing the boundaries.

The remarkable ability of human beings to invent and reinvent themselves gives us hope for a promising future, albeit different from what we know today. Ultimately, one question remains: Do we wish for something better tomorrow, or can we become better ourselves? That is quite a program.

Fred Corbo is CEO and owner of SmilePack.fr, a web-to-pack platform. A part of the Drupa Essentials of Print Series, this article was published in the November/December 2023 issue of PrintAction.

Created in 2005, Takedown began as a supplier to the wrestling market, and has grown its e-commerce operation with the use of sublimation, embroidery and cut-and-sew technologies. In 2020, their product line grew to include imprinted facial masks and other personal protective equipment—a recent adaptation among sportswear and other apparel manufacturers following COVID-19 market disruptions.

Takedown turned to Kornit Digital to maximize their impending growth of new and exciting demand on web business long-term.

“We are very excited to have this new Kornit system up and running,” said Dustin Kawa, CEO of Takedown. “At Takedown, it’s always our highest priority to provide our clients with exceptional service utilizing the latest printing technology.”

“We’re always working towards providing new innovative solutions for our customers,” said Rick Aberle, CEO of Propago. “We want to exceed the expectations of our customers with unique approaches to address their challenges and objectives, reduce complexity while gaining efficiency and speed through streamlined production and fulfilment.”

The first major feature is Propago Offers, a tool for collecting orders together which can be useful for those with franchise clients. Used to streamline production and fulfilment, Offers is a new way to bundle orders together from a preselected group of products and puts them on an “on hold” status until the offer ends or is manually processed. Once processed, the orders are released and sent to their respective production/procurement/fulfilment workflows. From a production standpoint, Offers reduces procurement and production by aggregating orders together over time and batching them up to be processed in bulk, Propago explains. Offers can be set to start and end on predefined dates or they can be available indefinitely and processed as desired.

“This new feature provides many benefits to our direct customers as well as their clients,” says Aberle. “It is a perfect tool for clients who need to organize collective ordering activity across a wide user base. Our clients realize lower production costs on items produced with demand aggregation, increase supply chain efficiency by aggregating orders and pushing to procurement/production/fulfilment all at once, and give end users the incentive of unlocking lower prices.”

Raw materials is a new feature to the Propago platform that gives customers the ability to tie “raw material” items to finished good items so that they can track their inventory of raw materials easier. The raw materials will be consumed automatically against the finished good items either during production or fulfilment. This feature allows platform users to track inventory and run reports on the use of blanks, shells, and other inventoried items that aren’t finished products.

Another new feature added to Propago’s platform is the warehouse gun interface, a new browser-based interface designed for mobile screens (smartphones and RF guns) that allow warehouse personnel to quickly perform basic warehouse functions like product lookup, transacting inventory and picking orders. The streamlined mobile interface gives users access to inventory and location information and can make frequently repeated fulfilment and warehouse tasks quicker and easier.

“Our customers tell us that the top benefits they want from their Web to print software are job ordering efficiency and increased productivity and customer satisfaction. This new release continues to uniquely meet the needs of in-plants and deliver the benefits they seek, while offering groundbreaking functionality like the new digital download feature that opens the door to offering new services,” says Senior Product Manager Vince Tutino.

RSA’s workflow solutions are available through RSA’s partners, including Canon, Kodak, Konica Minolta, Ricoh, Toshiba and Xerox.

By integrating this API, Cloudprinter.com says, publishers can sell globally and print locally in almost any country in the world. As the global print API, Cloudprinter.com will enable users to use just one service to connect their publishing applications to numerous audited, automated and integrated print providers through the Cloud.

The new API offers complete Cloud-based global printing management and is built to meet the growing demands of the publishing industry, Cloudprinter.com says. The service boasts automatic or custom routing, live production signals, transparent pricing, security and anti-fraud, live quoting and printing all over the world. As well, the service aims to help publishers make sure they are in compliance with applicable regulations in every country, an important feature for publishers wanting to get their books printed globally.

PressWise is designed to provide printers with a complete Cloud-based print shop management system that aims to eliminate manual touches from the print workflow to help printers grow their business. It includes unlimited web-to-print storefronts, print estimating, order management, production automation, shipping and fulfillment, mail processing and integration into accounting systems.

Some of the latest tools and enhancements that will be on offer to Print 18 attendees include:

• New analytics and reporting dashboards – The new embedded analytics and reporting platform will provide graphical, real-time information on sales and production. Besides providing dashboards and reports, the system will also provide customers with the ability to create and use their own custom quote letters, job tickets, invoices and more.

• Accounting codes – for in-plant print shops, or those facilities that use complex billing codes – sometimes known as Chargeback Accounts or Fund Codes – PressWise has added Accounting Codes, which allow the designation of Categories, and then unique Codes within these categories. Each order can have one or more accounting code combinations in it, allowing for detailed month-end account reporting.

• Accounts receivable/multi-invoice payment – PressWise now allows a user to select multiple invoices (either via the storefront or backend) and enter a single payment to apply to all those selected orders at once, reducing the amount of data entry for accounting, as well as the number of transactions that need to be processed by credit card processing providers.

• Additional enhancements – a program of ongoing feature enhancement and release has seen many other improvements to the system over the past year, including enhanced prepress tools such as checks to ensure artwork is in a print-ready PDF/X format; UI enhancements, additional tools for importing and exporting inventory data such as stock minimums and maximums; new finishing task calculations, more finely tuned press speeds for greater control over pricing, and much more.

Previous versions of Customer’s Canvas supported the Adobe Photoshop format, and adding InDesign to the family will allow current and future customers to reduce the learning curve for designers creating templates and publishing them to the website, the company explains.

“In a highly competitive printing market, every element is important for companies, including the quality of print templates. In many cases, modern desktop publishing systems are more convenient for creating design templates than online solutions,” says Dmitry Sevostyanov, CEO at Customer’s Canvas by Aurigma, Inc. “As we continue to improve our web-to-print editor, we focus on providing customers with flexible options for creating templates, such as the ability to import them from popular desktop solutions.”

The new features include: a newly rebuilt unlimited Customer Web Portals (W2P); management of customers and prospects with a connected CRM; tools to create and manage operational processes such as estimating, order management, production workflow, inventory control, accounts receivable and profit analysis; order tracking through workflow management; intuitive interface (GUI); real-time shop floor data collection; and integrated shipping module.

The DocketManager System is a Cloud/SaaS (Software as a Service) based print management solution with a fully integrated web-to-print system. The system includes a complete suite of modules for customer management, estimating, production, accounting and e-commerce in a single solution. DocketManager aims to help users be able to manage the entire company from one system and start leveraging comprehensive tools needed to maximize efficiency and stay competitive in today’s marketplace. It is designed to handle full or hybrid shops that include digital, offset, wide format, label, in-plant operations, inventory distribution as well as 3D and other specialty markets.

Radix describes OnPrintShop as an integrated “easy to use” web-to-print solution that helps print service providers to simplify and automate order/reordering for their retail, corporate and reseller clients. It comes complete with tools to help PSPs highlight their key products, services and promotional offers to engage customers and generate new and repeat sales.

“Nowadays, many PSPs are striving to improve productivity & operational efficiency and to make this stress-free this partnership is a one step ahead, where clients will have to access the best in print order management and Imposition software together. Very excited about the partnership, as it will help both the companies to help their customers grow,” says Naresh Bordia, VP, Business Development, OnPrintShop.

Meanwhile, Ultimate TechnoGraphics explains Ultimate Impostrip is designed with productivity in mind to help optimize the prepress imposition workflow for short turn-around delivery on marketing campaigns, transactional and short-run of books. It can be connected to OnPrintShop for end-to-end automation capability.

“Trusted now by several customers worldwide, this integration is key to the online print ordering business model where manually setting up a job for print is not an option,” says Ray Duval, Director of Solution Sales at Ultimate TechnoGraphics. “This business is about delivering quality product in a short turnaround time and selecting reliable software partners is key.”

Empowered by Ricoh’s Clickable Paper augmented reality solution, the textbook addresses the future of graphic communications and is described as the industry’s first of its kind book that incorporates a broader interactive digital experience. This book, written by Dr. Harvey Levenson and John Parsons, is now available for purchase.

Clickable Paper aims to enhance traditional print pieces with augmented reality to connect end-users with digital content. By pointing a smartphone or tablet at a printed piece, readers can be immersed in a digital experience. Ricoh explains Clickable Paper requires no specialized, design-disrupting markings, like QR codes. Additionally, it can be updated as frequently as every hour, making the adjustment of marketing campaigns on the fly quick and easy – or, in the case of this textbook, helping to minimize future versioning and associated costs.

This textbook includes web resources and instructional videos. Videos range from miniature lectures from respected industry analysts to demos and marketing videos from vendors discussing how they are addressing emerging trends. Recent enhancements add gaming features, push notifications and cookies-enablement, allowing users to engage in challenges, contests, quizzes, surveys and more, along with new customization and workflow capabilities. Analytics provide near-real-time, anonymized reports on how users are engaging with content.

“Print may be changing faster now than it has at any time in history and equipping our future generations with tomorrow’s interactive print possibilities today will be crucial to our industry’s future successes,” said John Fulena, Vice President, Commercial & Industrial Printing Group, Ricoh USA. “It’s truly the best of both worlds. There’s no better topic to centre this Clickable Paper-powered textbook around than learning about our industry. We’ve all seen the statistics on the power of print and the psychology of engaging with communications you can touch. This textbook doesn’t just tell students about the future of print – it shows it to them via all channels. We’re honoured to advocate for the future of our industry with our technologies that enhance it today.”

Radatech Web to Print Shop
Web to Print Shop bundles Radatech’sW2P tools into modules as plug-ins that can be applied to any WordPress/Woocommerce Website. These tools are well suited for companies that have a modest level of fluency in managing their Website and wish to manage their own data.  They can leverage the general open source aspects of their Website that are publicly available, while the Web to Print Shop plug-ins will fill in the gaps and handle harder issues like sophisticated product options and pricing, variable data templates, the uDRAW HTML5 designer plug-in, PDF based templates, file upload detection, file data and job routing. The system allows users to choose from several user interfaces and to create their own. W2P Shop can also be connected to the W2P CLOUD system and have all orders funnel into one production dashboard for streamlined management and reporting.

Infigo MegaEdit 3D preview
The MegaEdit 3D preview module was updated in March 2017 to include finishing features, such as embossing, spot varnish and foiling, and photo-realistic 360-degree product previews. The original 3D preview tool was launched last year. Infigo explains the MegaEdit 3D preview module gives users the closest online experience to try before they buy, which is particularly useful for the personalized gifting space. The HTML 5 MegaEdit module is cloud-based so there are no time-consuming downloads, and it’s compatible for any device, so clients and end users can access it anywhere.

The 3D preview module has also been integrated with Esko so it can deliver a 3D visual of the product and automate the output of the Esko CAD profiles in a print-ready format, delivering an automated workflow that enables on-demand printing for packaging suppliers.

Amazing Print eCardBuilder Version 5.2
eCardBuilder Version 5.2 is to be released at Print 17 in September 2017 and will have a multi-lingual interface with more products. Amazing Print explains the new version of the web-to-print design engine eCardBuilder 5.2 will feature 100 new products and thousands of additional templates as a free upgrade to current users. Some of the new upgrades include new template creation functionality, new language support for multilingual w+Websites, new image editing capability and image cropping and resizing improvements. The tool’s improved mobile optimized interface will allow ordering and designing on any cell phone or tablet device, while desktop users will benefit from increased speed and better aesthetics.

A new version of APIs will allow deeper connectivity in popular shopping carts and Websites. eCardBuilder users can additionally upgrade to a PosterDesignerPlus+ web to print poster designer and ordering interface based on eCardBuilder framework directly from Canon Canada.

EFI SmartCanvas
SmartCanvas, powered by DirectSmile is a new, Web-based product design tool launched with the new version 9.2 of EFI’s Digital StoreFront Web-to-print and eCommerce software. With SmartCanvas, users can create templates for a variety of products such as greeting cards, flyers, business cards, brochures, stationery, and banners. SmartCanvas is 100 percent HTML5 compatible, ensuring it works across a range of browsers for printer clients to submit customized orders online. Clients can use the design tools to personalize products by selecting images from galleries and adding their own text, images, QR codes, and shapes, while retaining the original branding control of the template. SmartCanvas supports: Multiple levels of undo (and redo); Keyboard shortcuts; Right-click context menus; Layers; Data tools – form fields, variables, and switches; Custom-defined spot colours and official Pantone spot colour definitions, including metallic and fluorescent colours); Real-time preview of product customization.

Infigo MegaEdit Mobile
A mobile optimized version of Infigo’s MegaEdit design tool was launched in March 2017 to enhance the user experience on mobile devices, which requires an intuitive mobile experience.  With consumers storing photos on their mobile device more so than their computer, Infigo explains this development is key to deliver a great experience for photo gifting businesses, and personalized product online retailers.  The latest developments, explains Infigo, make it easy for end users to personalize their order. The MegaEdit mobile interface has been developed to make image upload and editing variable fields simple on a mobile phone. MegaEdit is built in HTML 5 and is cloud-based, so is easy access on most any device.

Agfa StoreFront 4.0
In April, Agfa Graphics released the next generation of its StoreFront, version 4.0 software, which now features what Agfa describes as responsive stores for optimal ease of use, new estimating functionality for pricing information, and new packaging algorithms for cost-effective shipping. The new StoreFront version is optimized to be viewed on smaller screens and large desktop monitors, as store pages automatically adapt to any device.

Another addition to StoreFront 4.0 is the ‘save for quote’ functionality. It allows resellers and agencies to get instant pricing information for an entire product bundle, including shipping costs. In StoreFront 4.0, the shipping module is completely reworked with new packaging algorithms for the grouping of order items and for calculating the optimal number of boxes needed for shipping. Also a new packaging type has been introduced for posters, banners and similar types of signage. These products can now be combined on a single packaging roll.

Radatech Web to Print Cloud
Web to Print Cloud is powered by EPOWER, which specializes in online ordering portals for corporate brands and in-plant operations. The software has the ability to modify the skin to accommodate any look and feel. The system utilizes multiple file formats for variable data – HTML5 design application, PDFLib and InDesign files with XMPie.  The system offers editable workflow stations (as many as you want). The company explains there are no limits to the type of products that users can publish on the system. It also accommodates multiple administrative privileges, multi-billing and shipping options. The reporting can also be customized to generate reports with any piece of data in a few seconds and no coding is necessary.

Print Science wp2print
wp2print is an e-commerce solution for printing companies built on top of WordPress. wp2print brings these important functions to the Website: Complete purchase process including: quotes, purchase and payment; pricing calculators that can handle all the different products type printers require including saddle-stitched catalogues, perfect-bound books, wide format products, signs and more; design-online; both public storefronts and private storefronts for large accounts; and file uploads with no limitations on file size or type.

Because it is built with WordPress, the company explains wp2print is easy to manage to create an attractive and responsive Website by using thousands of available WordPress themes. Print Science explains it is also easy to extend functionality by adding WordPress or WooCommerce plugins; and to translate to any language. wp2print is available for purchase or by subscription (SaaS). Subscription prices start at US$100 per month. Subscriptions include Website hosting, training and technical support.

“Automation is the single most important element in keeping a print provider operating in the black today,” said Cathy Skoglund, Director of ASU’s print operation. The newly integrated solution, according to Avanti, allows customers of imaging lab, whether internal or external, to use the SaaS-based Infigo e-commerce platform to submit a print-ready file or compose the entire piece online.

By integrating Catfish with Slingshot, Avanti explains it is possible to automate every aspect of the print job into a single workflow, eliminating the need for human intervention. This includes functions like job specification and submission, reporting, estimating, imposition, inventory management, scheduling, shipping and billing. “By integrating Avanti Slingshot with Infigo Catfish, our customers have easy access to a new set of unique and powerful e-commerce and job submission capabilities,” said Patrick Bolan, President and CEO, Avanti.

More heavily used in the U.K. and Europe, Infigo Catfish is a Web-to-print platform for printing companies operating in both B2B and B2C environments. It is an HTML5-based (SaaS) solution that can be customized and configured for use by print buyers. Infigo explains it is now in the midst of an aggressive campaign to market its software in North America. Catfish, with tools like MegaEdit, provides online functions for customer acquisition, retention, improvement of the order process and reducing customers support costs.

“By adding full-cycle cXML PunchOut support, our clients can extend their reach by offering enterprise level integrations to anyone,” said Rick Aberle, CEO of Propago. “By adding native cXML support directly in Propago our clients won’t need to incur outside expenses from either software purchases or consulting fees to support their largest opportunities.”

The Propago platform’s support for cXML enables trusted supply chain partners (commercial printers, promotional, and apparel companies) to leverage Propago’s marketing asset management platform through a company’s eProcurement system, such as Ariba, Verian, Coupa, SAP, and Oracle.

End users can utilize Propago’s personalization engine, browse the full marketing catalogue and order while remaining in compliance with enterprise procurement processes.

Propago was started within a large commercial printing conglomerate as an internal application to serve clients and support backend operations for those clients. In 2015, the team responsible for building and maintaining the Propago platform was given the opportunity to spin the technology away from the parent company and form a completely stand-alone organization.

“We take great pride in listening to the industry and our customers to help them continue their growth and increase their profitability,” said Rick Aberle, CEO of Propago. “With the introduction of version 6, we have rebuilt and modernized our front-end portal so that is more intuitive, faster and powerful.”

“We continue our push to lead the market with a flagship product that stands alone and above the rest of the web-to-print solutions on the market. With over 16 years of experience in the industry, we have developed an easier and more efficient system that allows producers to offer a comprehensive platform to manage, distribute, and produce the marketing assets of their clients.”

Propago version 6, supported by more than 16 years of experience in the industry, is based on a completely new architecture, including new features like a redesigned user interface and additional methods to personalize print materials.

The company points to other new features of version 6 like reinforced compliance enforcement for end marketers, enhanced relevance-based searching capabilities, flexible themes and landing pages for a personalized experience, responsive design to support any device, and expanded support for Propago First-Render technology to streamline end-users’ orders.

Propago explains its Marketing Asset Management Platform allows a printer to offer customers a platform to have complete control over their brands, budgets, and inventory, while sharing and distributing marketing assets to sales teams, affiliates, franchisees, channel partners or any authorized users.

Users can access branded marketing assets and order what they need through intuitive cloud-based marketing portals. It includes a set of Web-to-print, production, procurement, warehousing and fulfillment tools. Propago’s portals handle a variety of assets from printable assets, digital files, promotional products, and apparel to more complex personalized brochures and kits. Granular settings, explains the company, allow administrators to configure branding controls, spending limits, user rights, and reporting, enabling end users easy access to all branded materials from anywhere in the world.

“At the moment our largest StoreFront account is a print service provider who is running 51 B2B stores for different clientele,” said Andy Grant, Head of Software, Agfa Graphics. “Today StoreFront serves more than 1,000,000 pages per month, a number that very well illustrates the potential of this market.”

One of the new StoreFront 3.0 features is designed for the use of animated carousel banners and custom footer function on store pages. This provides the capability for shop owners to leverage the technology for marketing, providing information to shoppers or promote specific products or services. Agfa explains the HTML5 banners are easy to set up and properly display on mobile devices. The footer function can be used to add contact data or payment and shipping information on store pages.

StoreFront 3.0 now also supports price rounding either per item or for the total order value. With the updated software, Agfa explains business customers with stores aimed at international visitors have better control over international value-added taxes (VAT). In countries where it is customary to add a surcharge for credit card payments, such fees can now be added to the order total.

“From the start, our StoreFront solution was developed with automation in mind,” continued Grant. “The tight integration with the Apogee or Asanti workflow is extremely powerful and saves printers a lot of time because incoming orders are automatically processed.”

StoreFlow Cloud is compatible with XMPie’s suite of tools for personalization and multichannel communications, and it opens doors to the world of higher-value services, such as creating and managing marketing portals.

“As an entry level Cloud-based solution, StoreFlow Cloud gives Print and Marketing service providers a convenient way to participate in a fast growing segment of services,” said Jacob Aizikowitz, President of XMPie.  “At the same time, customers of StoreFlow Cloud will be able to jumpstart their journey towards transforming their businesses to become full-fledged, high-value multichannel service providers.”

StoreFlow Cloud allows visitors to upload their documents, or select a template from a catalogue and customize/personalize it, price the job, and submit it for processing and handling. StoreFlow Cloud leverages Xerox FreeFlow Core technology to streamline and automate prepress functions and other print fulfillment workflows.

Key features of StoreFlow Cloud include having an unlimited number of static, customizable and variable documents; Adobe workflow for InDesign template creation and editing; Automated predefined prepress workflows powered by Xerox FreeFlow Core; customizable, mobile-friendly storefronts with intuitive shopping experience; and integration with common payment gateways and shipping providers.

“This investment is simply to serve the growing demand from Canadian authors and publishers, given the current publishing climate in Canada,” says Bob Young, Canadian Founder and CEO of Lulu.com. “Expanding our global print network to include Canada is just one more way we’re making Lulu the most cost-effective and convenient option available for creators to sell more books to more readers both in Canada and around the world.”

One of Lulu’s partners is Toronto-based Astley Gilbert, which has 10 locations across Southern Ontario. According to Lulu, the company has seen a 44 percent growth in Canadian creators last year with authors making upwards of $165,000.

Founded in 2002, Lulu claims to have become the largest self-publishing portal in North America. It sources print vendors from all across North America. People looking to self-publish keep 80 percent of the revenues derived from each sale.

“This acquisition expands our portfolio of proprietary Internet-based solutions,” stated Thomas J. Quinlan III, CEO of RRD. “8touches brings to RR Donnelley a proven solution that will benefit from our larger scale in software development and distribution. It will also accelerate our ability to create targeted applications for additional industries and vertical segments.”


8touches portal provides access to more than 1,000 customizable templates, which users can populate with profiles, MLS data and pictures for selected real-estate listings. Templates are available for residential, farm and ranch, commercial and new construction marketing programs. The 8touches portal also includes mapping tools to obtain surrounding address information, as well as access to demographics that can better target direct mailings.

Often describes as the world’s largest printing company, Chicago-based RRD claims it now works with over 60,000 customers.

These search categories are grouped by product or service, brand, or retailer, and can include more specific local, retail topics like “home improvement” or “babies and toddlers.” According to Transcontinental, users can further personalize their search and build shopping lists, print coupons, and elect to receive notification of future offers from retailers.
 
The site also features complementary content from Transcontinental publications like Canadian Living, Style at Home and Homemakers.

“Dealstreet.ca builds on the strength of retail flyers, which have traditionally played a significant role in the shopping habits of Canadians,” stated Alain Courville, General Manager, Transcontinental Media.  “A recent industry survey showed that a large number of Canadian consumers want to use the Internet to research information before heading to the stores. Dealstreet.ca delivers information about special offers, new product information, and even inspiration for the weekly family menu from wherever the Internet is available.”

Dealstreet.ca was developed in partnership with Conversys, a Transcontinental company which provides services for retailers to extend their print flyer content online. The coupon application is an extension of the Transcontinental Media Clip n’ Save group.

Based in the United Kingdom, unitedprint.com has more than 400 employees, working through 24-hour shifts, within a print production area of around 10,000 square metres (see link below to view a live cam of the company’s production floor).

Claiming itself as Europe’s “leader in the field of web2print,” unitedprint.com focuses its services into world-class cites, including Berlin, London, Paris, Milan, Madrid, Vienna, Zurich, Amsterdam, Brussels, Dublin, Luxembourg, Warsaw, Prague, Copenhagen, Oslo, Stockholm, Helsinki, Lisbon and Athens.

In addition to its Calgary printing partnership, the company has established another print24 partnership with a company in Seattle to help it cover the North American market, which until now has been clearly dominated by VistaPrint and its Windsor, Ontario, production facility.

print24 lists the following core printing applications: address labels, sticker, letterheads, envelopes, brochures, flyers, wall year planners, calendars, compliment slips, mousepads, posters, postcards, presentation folders, notepads, desk pads, rubber stamps and business cards.

Live webcam of unitedprint.com’s production floor.