Ink or Toner: Does It Really Matter?
Quick quiz: which method of printing, color inkjet or color toner, produced the best response rate on a test of 10,000+ post-card direct-mail pieces? Doc knows what you’re thinking: “Who dreams up these studies anyway?”
Nonetheless, it is interesting to consider how a printing technique might affect response to a marketing piece. So that’s what the folks over at Interquest set out to discover in their recent free report.
The results are noteworthy, if not conclusive. The test was against an unknown toner-based printer and one from the inkjet company Riso (who sponsored the research), so we don’t know how applicable these results would be to other machines from other manufacturers.
But aside from the comparison between techniques, there’s some good info about color vs. black and white and some other broader bits of info, including cost comparisons. Here are a few highlights and yes, the answer to my first question:
- More than 40% of the respondents believe that printing is the most effective media for business communications, and nearly 90% of all respondents prefer to receive full-color direct marketing materials.
- Above and beyond response rate, two-thirds of the respondents indicate that the cost of printing is the most important criteria of a direct marketing campaign.
- Inkjet produced cards generated about 4% fewer responses than cards printed with color laser equipment.
So there you go. Toner is the winner by a hair, and it’s a pretty thin hair. Lesson learned: color is the way to go no matter how you produce it.
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ZDNet introduces Doc (The DocuMentor), sponsored by RICOH. Through his blog, Doc will educate you about Document Management. So who is Doc? Doc is something of an enigma. He was born to a Russian ballerina and a German electrical engineer who some believe was running covert operations for shadowy corporate interests. Doc grew up in various locations in the United States, although no one seems to know precisely where, least of all Doc. His early schooling was unremarkable except for the time he was caught trying to replace all the mimeograph machines with high-tech color copiers that had mysteriously disappeared from a shipment to Albania. At MIT, he made a name for himself by transforming a large printer into a robot that hunts and eats Roombas. Professionally, he reportedly has seen the insides of more brands, versions, and generations of printer and printer-related hardware than almost anyone. Some say his obsession with paper, printing, and mechanical movement was either started by, or evidenced by, a traumatic childhood episode when he crawled inside an old Xerox 2400 and tried to print himself.
Anyway, Doc has hands on experience with stuff like printer maintenance and fleet management, but his mastery of document management leaves no stone unturned. Important issues like sustainability, security, and regulatory compliance are top of mind for Doc, as are other business technology needs like networking and IT services, making him a true blue IT renaissance man.
Just In
Personally at work inkjet for personal stuff and the short-term small print jobs. Laser for the final reports, presentation handout, and prints that will go to the higher mangers.
At home inkjet.
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