Graphics News Review

EFI Boosts In-House Expertise and Partners with Leading Document Creation Provider

Philadelphia- EFI (Nasdaq: EFII), the world leader in digital controllers, superwide format printers and inks, and print management solutions, today announced new Graphic Arts and Personalization Services designed to help EFI’s print MIS users meet their customers’ growing need for customized solutions. EFI has assembled a team of professionals who can quickly and economically provide a wide-array of services, from basic artwork creation, image editing and VDP template creation, to enabling printers to deliver complete VDP campaigns.

The company has partnered with Affinity Express, a global provider of document creation and production services, who works for over 2,000 clients daily, many of which are Fortune 500 companies. The new EFI service offerings in partnership with Affinity Express provide a complete solution that is cost effective for both small and large projects. Services can be provided via a combination of on-site, remote, and off-shore delivery to control costs and allow overnight turn-around in many cases.

“In today’s competitive environment, having a time to market advantage is key to enabling our customers to grow their business,” said Chuck Gehman, director of product marketing at EFI. “Whether they employ graphic designers, or have an established relationship with a local creative services organization, EFI’s new services can help our printer customers expand these types of offerings in a cost effective, scalable and quality way. Our relationship with Affinity Express is a big part of this, since they are highly experienced and can produce work in over 30 software packages, often in 24 hours. The combination of our web applications like PrinterSite Fulfillment, and our services portfolio including Affinity Express, means EFI customers can get their end customer’s ordering sites up and running with less time, effort and expense”

“Affinity Express allows EFI customers to seamlessly outsource quick-turn, simple and semi-custom work so they can instead focus current staff on high-margin, complex projects and selling,” said David Grant, executive chairman of Affinity Express. “By providing document creation services, printers increase customer loyalty, attract new customers, maximize ROI and achieve profit on both printing and document creation.”

Besides document creation, artwork layout, image editing and typesetting services, EFI’s Graphic Arts and Personalization Services team expect high demand for VDP services such as template and campaign creation, along with the development of printers’ customer-facing web catalogs. EFI can also provide consulting services to enable customers to provide successful VDP campaigns to their customers.

A great example is a simple direct mail postcard featuring VDP. The printer receives a “static” direct mail postcard from their customer, who wishes to use it in a VDP direct response campaign. With EFI’s new services, the printer is able to quote the graphic arts and template creation work from a price list, and have the item turned around and ready to be produced as a dynamic document, within a pre-established timeframe at a pre-established cost. The printer can focus on customer service, production and mailing tasks, and not worry about building business rules and specialized programming for the VDP work.

For more information, please contact 800-875-7117.

About EFI
EFI (www.efi.com) is the world leader in digital controllers, superwide format printers and inks, and print management solutions. EFI’s award-winning technologies offer integrated document management tools from creation to print, including high fidelity color Fiery® print servers that can output up to 2000 ppm; VUTEk superwide digital inkjet printers and UV and solvent inks capable of printing on flexible and rigid substrates; powerful print production workflow and management information software solutions for increased performance and cost efficiency; and an array of corporate printing solutions. EFI’s integrated solutions connect seamlessly, delivering unbeatable performance, cost savings and increased productivity. EFI maintains 22 offices worldwide.

About Affinity Express
Affinity Express is the leading provider of outsourced desktop publishing, artwork and digitizing worldwide. Founded in 2000 and headquartered in Elgin, Illinois, Affinity Express supports clients such as FedEx Kinko’s, IKON, Standard Register, Xerox, Proforma, Sir Speedy, PIP Printing, Lands’ End (Sears), Cintas, EmbroidMe, E-Bags and approximately 2,000 others in the printing, Internet retail and promotional products and apparel industries. The state-of-the-art Production Center of Affinity Express has over 550 employees and operates 24/7/365. Designers work in multiple platforms and are certified in over 30 software programs. Comprehensive, customized graphics solutions help clients lower production costs, generate higher profits and gain a competitive edge, without having to invest in establishing and maintaining these capabilities internally. For more information, please visit www.affinityexpress.com.

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