What Is VDP? Variable Data Printing

VDP is an acronym for Variable Data Printing. A lot of people do not know what VDP is. Surprisingly even a lot of people in the printing industry. Some of them think is means simply adding some variable text or a customers name to a printed item, which is NOT VDP.* This article then, as well as some linked quotes, will try to explain, in more detail, what VDP is.

The term was first coined by Frank Romano, Professor Emeritus, School of Print Media, Rochester Institute of Technology, and if you are interested in knowing more, there are a number of good articles on the subject by Romano and others at http://Amazon.com.

Another excellent source, which also has some further links, is Wikipedia which defines Variable Data Printing as ...

"Variable Data Printing or VDP (also known as Variable Information Printing, or VIP) is a form of on-demand printing in which elements such as text, graphics and images may be changed from one printed piece to the next without stopping or slowing down the press, using information from a database or external file. For example, a set of personalized letters, each with the same basic layout, can be printed with a different name and address on each letter. Variable data printing is mainly used for direct marketing, customer relationship management and advertising."

The most common and prolific use of VDP is in direct mail advertising and interestingly the Wikipedia article goes on to point out ...

"The returns for variable printing vary from double the normal return at the basic level to 10-15 times the return for fully variable jobs. This naturally depends on content and the relevancy of that content, but the technique presents an effective tool for increasing ROI on marketing campaigns."

In some future articles we will also be explaining PURL's, or Personalized Web Pages, AKA landing pages, including some case studies and response rates using both VDP and PURLs.

*In regard to printers who simply ink jet or laser print some variable text, a 2007 white paper entitled "What’s in the Mailbox? The Impact of One-to-One Marketing on consumer Response" prepared by Winterberry Group LLC in conjunction with research and perspective provided by Mintel International Group Ltd/Comperemedia, Responsys and Vertis Communications, they point out ...

"“Simple” personalization—commonly exercised as the addition of a recipient’s name, address or basic personal information to a message— is no longer a competitive advantage given its proliferation and the advent of highly sophisticated targeting methodologies"

New high speed presses that are able to create different versions of a marketing piece have revolutionized the way companies communicate. State of the art printers such as the XEROX IGEN III draw information from a database to produce personalized copy, offers, and art for individual recipients.

Variable data printing campaigns allow for one small print run to contain multiple designs. This eliminates the need for inventories of different versions, resulting in a low buy in and no outdated reprint. Some industries are deeply involved in this process already. Real estate brokers, faced with ever changing inventories, utilize VDP to feature different properties without having to invest in large runs. Variable data printing allows for mall print runs to be combined into one job so that economies of scale can be reached by low volume users.

To lower costs, several disparate designs from multiple firms can e printed together, presorted as a group, and mailed in bulk as long as the dimensions of the piece are the same. This is a win-win situation. Efficiency is improved for the printer because down time and set up are minimized. For the marketer, larger print runs mean reduced production costs while maintaining a custom-tailored message for each recipient.