There's no question that printing in support of direct mail campaigns is a billion-dollar business. The astronomical number of printing orders and the need for fast turnaround have not only given rise to the development of appropriately capable hardware, but also to such applications as variable data printing (VDP), which can significantly reduce the cost per printed item. The question now is: where do businesses stand today?

In spite of all the opportunities that are available in personalized printing, businesses still face enormous challenges. Small enterprises in particular continue to print their advertising and other mailings in black and white. Everyone knows how inadequate that is for making the right impression with prospects and customers. Companies need to put forth an enormous effort, particularly when using postal services for their mailing campaigns, as these have to compete with the internet and hold their own against the latest multimedia websites, e-mails, video platforms and social networks.

Variable data printing has made tremendous progress since its beginnings​

It caused quite a sensation back in the 1960s: bank statements in plain black text produced by dot-matrix printers and then mailed by name to each account holder. Today the very idea of this might only earn grins from nostalgists, especially in light of how far personalized mailings of all kinds have progressed from such modest beginnings. The international PDF/VT standard addresses the needs of modern variable and transactional printing and brings all the benefits of PDF workflows to the world of personalized and variable data printing.

Administrative workflows are being modernized as more and more government agencies start using the e-case file - and PDF/A is playing a decisive role in all of this.

The call for a modernized workplace has finally reached the courts and government agencies. This development is not only due to the people working in such agencies, who see in the latest technologies a means of making their jobs easier and more efficient, but also to various laws designed to promote such improvements.