A joint venture between Océ and the Newspaper Publishers Association (NPA) has established, what it claims is a world-first in personalised newspapers in Australia. In the newspaper sent to NPA members, the personalisation features on the front page, as part of a special coverage of digital printing technology.
Using Océ’s JetStream digital print technology, the venture is the most extensive personalisation undertaken for a newspaper, according to Océ, digital print technology provider for the newspaper industry.
Mark Hollands, NPA chief executive says, “Our aim in producing this personalised publication is to demonstrate the capabilities of the technology, and to open discussion at an industry level about possible new revenue streams for the industry.”
He continues, “Opportunities from short-run, digitally-printed newspapers are emerging in Europe. Publishers can start to think about how to create high-context newspapers, possibly for individual advertisers who see value in personalised newspapers for their own clients.”
Hollands also outlines that NPA members still had some reservations about digital printing, including cost per copy, quality of production and the extent of revenue opportunities from personalisation of products.
He says, “The personalisation is not an issue – that can be done throughout a newspaper and as many times as you want. Advertising and editorial can also be varied, to appeal to the profile of a particular demographic or individuals. In terms of short-run newspapers, the cost of digital printing can match existing web offset technologies.”
The NPA newspaper was printed at Reproteknik Gruppe in Berlin before being flown back to Sydney. Hollands adds, “We designed into the publication open spaces to allow for the printing of the individual readers’ names. The technology aligned the names perfectly – a great result.”
The Océ side of the project was headed by Robert Koeckeis, the company’s European business development director.
Koeckeis says, “Océ was delighted to be involved in this stimulating project which demonstrates the versatility of high speed digital printing and points to a range of fascinating options for the newspaper industry. Digital has a growing role to play in the industry’s future.”
