Printing Media’s New Blue Ocean—From Customized Web-to-Print to Me-Commerce Cloud Printing

The Web-to-Print platform offers print service providers a brand new sales channel. The channel enables providers to expand customers from business entities to end users via Internet; meanwhile, through this channel, providers can cast off price competition of being standardized and increase product value via personalization and customization. By adopting highly automatic production, print service providers can establish efficient business procedure in developing new customer and good customer service; also, providers can reduce labor cost and improve performance. Nevertheless, the Web-to-Print is not only a new platform but also a new business ecosystem. The keynote for traditional print industry to lead the Web-to-Print is to consolidate business flow and to transform company culture. The Internet marketing’s education and implementation become crucial for Web-to-Print providers to develop business. Web-to-Print providers will eventually design customized product by satisfying Me-Commerce along with 3D printing technology being refined. On Me-Commerce platform, the print service will be completed from two-dimensional to three-dimensional, from graphic as flat to unique and unmatched as a whole. With the growing of subscribers, the Big Data application will be an important tool to reinforce Web-to-Print’s ecosystem and Me-Commerce platform. In the era of Internet, either Web-to-Print or Me-Commerce is important for print service provider’s competitiveness and development.