Web-to-Print: Saepio Technologies.

dmbower December 01, 2008 School No Comments

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Saepio Technologies Lobo

Saepio Technologies Logo

Saepio Technologies: An Overview

Saepio Technologies produces user-friendly Marketing Asset Management software to help their customers better control digital asset management, collateral customization and marketing automation technologies in a single marketing storefront interface to “improve brand compliance, improve measurable return on marketing investment, eliminate repetitive tasks, enable speed-to-market and engage distributed marketers”. Their software currently helps maximize brand effectiveness for more than 250 distributed marketing organizations. They primarily work in three distinct venues, providing corporations, printers, and ad agencies with their software services. Software solutions for corporations aim to help them “enhance and manage their brands, streamline operations, and empower distributed marketers”. Saepio’s printing software, LightsOut, helps print service providers by supplying them with the technology to “automate the print production process from web-to-print versioning through final delivery”. They also manufacture software for Ad Agencies, enabling them to “use marketing asset management technology to increase the services they provide and the revenue they generate from clients”.

Saepio Technologies: About

Saepio’s Vision – Saepio will be the premier provider of software and solutions that maximize brand effectiveness for distributed marketing organizations.

Saepio’s Mission – Saepio makes distributed marketing effective, engaging and easy.

Saepio Technologies, founded in 2000 out of Kansas City, Missouri as “Layout Wizard” later changed its name to the latin word, Saepio, meaning “to encircle”. The company reportedly earns $2 million dollars in revenue a year with a total of 26 employees. They aim to make distributed marketing effective by providing “solutions [to] save time, headaches and money while also ensuring strong brand compliance”. They strive to keep distributed marketers “engaged in a coordinating, unified and brand-consistent messaging at both the corporate and local market level”. They also hold a standard to design all of their software solutions with “the corporate marketing team in mind”, making it easy to use and not need any IT staff involvement for daily use management.

Saepio Technologies: Print Related Products

Saepio Technologies manufacture three distinct print related products; Saepio Print, Saepio PrintStore, and Saepio LightsOut Printing. These three products are software programs developed specifically for Printers, offering them web-to-print solutions to help reduce their costs while utilizing new technology to provide more services that “strengthen customer loyalty, and boost recurring revenues”.

The challenge of today relies on the idea that printers need to deliver new and technologically advanced services, or risk losing market share to the vendors that do. One of the most recent and effective ways for printers to achieve this level of modernism is through newly growing web-to-print solutions. Setting up such modifications and deploying these products for the first time can present significant fiscal, industrial and logistical challenges to printers. Saepio’s software solutions help to “set the stage” for better success in web-to-print installations and management all while offering a range of various capabilities such as:

  • A powerful Web-to-print storefront with full e-commerce functionality
  • Online versioning, collaborative review and proofing of documents
  • Variable data printing (VDP), enabling marketers to dynamically tailor their print vehicles
  • Dynamic page scripting for complex document authoring and assembly
  • Integrated marketing services that, for example, allow a marketer to coordinate a direct mailer with a customized Web site landing page
  • Enhanced, JDF-enabled LightsOut Digital Printing automation for nearly “human-free” workflow

Saepio Technologies’ products are unique from other companies because only their software provides the following features:

  • Ease of use and administration – Saepio PrintStore was designed from the ground up as graphics tools, not as a complicated programmer’s resource. With Saepio, end users can create and edit templates and add them to their repository of digital assets as easily as they operate common desktop applications. Users work on-screen with artwork and templates that look exactly as they will when printed.
  • Robust data management – Featuring extraordinary indexing and search capabilities, Saepio solutions allow organizations to catalog any digital asset in the most precise and effective manner. Users can search, browse, order, upload or download any image-or collection of images.
  • Flexible deployment and management capapbilities – Offering a range of deployment options and broad technology support, Saepio solutions can easily be adapted to an organization’s specific staffing and computing resources. Saepio products offer broad computing support-working with both PCs and Macs, for example. These products can be deployed as a delivered or co-located server option, or via an SaaS model. In addition, they can be managed in-house or they can be outsourced to Saepio or one of Saepio’s many value-added partners.
  • Sophisticated permission controls – Saepio offers sophisticated management of user or group privileges and restrictions, a simple-to-navigate directory structure for logically organizing and identifying images and other digital assets, and an easily created and maintained directory structure that catalogs and labels all Saepio Print layouts by type, color or size for easy retrieval.

Benefits to Print Service Providers that use their software to implement web-to-print technologies include saving customer’s time, speeding up product turnaround, and the ability to deliver new services, as well as:

  • Strengthen customer loyalty – Saepio enables printers to deliver a radically different level of service-one that saves customers time and money, and dramatically speeds project turnaround. Vendors that offer these benefits can significantly boost customer retention, foster a deeper partnership with customers, and increase the amount of revenue per customer.
  • Increase annuity based revenues – As opposed to a standard one-time print run of a point-of-sale piece, Saepio provides services such as online templates that customers and their local affiliates may tailor and use for an entire season’s promotional campaign. The end result is that printers boost annuity-based revenues and build a more stable, predictable revenue stream.
  • Boosting market share – Saepio’s Web-to-print services can dramatically increase a printer’s offerings, markets and sales-and with that comes a strengthened competitive position in the market place.
  • Delivering new and enhanced services – The efficiencies provided by Saepio’s Web-to-print solutions enable a printer to take on historically low-margin print projects, such as business card printing, and deliver them profitably. Plus, Web-to-print solutions enable printers to function as full-service marketing agencies by offering services that go far beyond traditional print projects.
  • Reducing costs – Saepio’s solutions feature LightsOut Digital Printing, the integration with JDF technologies that automates much of the manual effort involved in the print production process-in some cases even enabling completely “hands free” printing from proofing to delivery. By reducing the human intervention required for many pre-press and production processes, printers can enjoy dramatic improvements in efficiency, productivity and profitability.

Saepio Technologies: Saepio Print

Saepio Print is a resource for customer-focused print service providers who offer web-to-print templating functionality. This software provides “Internet-based web-to-print technology, variable data printing, web-based cropping, approval routing, proofing and more and is a perfect middle-ware application for printers with established web-to-print ecommerce capabilities”. It’s an easy to use software that offers powerful control to users and was specifically designed to be operated by production artists, with no IT staff personal needed to manage its usability. Saepio Print provides one of the most vigorous web-to-print templating technologies obtainable, including “variable data printing, dynamic page scripting, advanced cropping, and international language support”. Their software also operates on both MAC and PC to support the needs of all print service providers. This means that their end users only need a web browser to create and view print-ready files.

Saepio Print is a middle-ware technology designed strictly as a graphics tool, and not as a complicated programmer-esque resource. After a brief day of training, a production artist is generally able to fully implement and maintain projects using Saepio Print. The built-in layout design tool provides an easy way for production artists to create, edit and add templates to a repository of digital assets as easily as they operate any other common desktop applications.

The end-user know-how is also simplified as users work within an actual template to create finished artwork that looks exactly as it appears on screen. “As a middle-ware technology, however, Saepio Print requires a front-end access platform. This may be through links imbedded in e-mails or HTML Web pages, often as part of an access-restricted marketing Web site. These must be created separately by the Saepio Print software administrator as the software does not generate any Web pages that provide end-user access to templates”.

Saepio Print uses flexible administrative tools for easy navigation by end users and production artists. There are three seamlessly integrated components to Saepio Print that make up the foundation of “Saepio Dynamic Content Engine”:

  • Saepio Toolkit – The Toolkit is the Java-based Internet application that serves as the primary administrative controller for Saepio Dynamic Content Engine. The Toolkit’s intuitive interface makes it easy for non-IT staff to manage all aspects of Saepio Print.
    • User Management – Empowers user or group privileges and restrictions to be easily managed
    • Image Management – A simple-to-navigate directory structure for logically organizing and identifying digital assets
    • Layout Management – An easily maintained directory structure that catalogs and labels all layouts by type, color or size for quick retrieval
    • Database Management – A fully relational database tool for creating “smart layouts,” i.e., tables that automatically populate text or image regions
    • Layout Design – An intuitive desktop publishing tool that the graphic artist uses to create versionable templates
  • Saepio Compiler – This Web-based, point-and-click interface allows local marketers to customize areas of a layout-such as headlines, copy points and images. The Compiler often auto-populates text (including local addresses and images) based on the user’s log-in information and generates the file format specified for printing.
  • Saepio Server – Saepio Print utilizes a highly configurable server for storage of all layouts and graphic components and processing of versioning selections. It is available as a Delivered or Co-Located Server or as a SaaS Hosted Solution.

The highlighted features of Saepio Print are as follows:

  • Variable Data and Dynamic Page Scripting – Saepio’s variable data printing (VDP) and page scripting technology make virtually any dynamic printing objective possible. All clients have access to a Dynamic Scripting Library that contains basic script wizards from Saepio and the user/developer community. Script authoring ability is available with the optional Saepio Developer Kit Extra.
  • Support of Multiple File Formats – Saepio Print can output files in a variety of formats as specified by the printer, publication or other recipient. Supported file types include EPS, JPEG, TIFF and PDF.
  • Enhanced Color Libraries and Selection – Saepio Print lets users import spot colors from images or add them manually. Users can also create custom colors that can be shared by all authorized users.
  • Online Approver – Administrators can require customized layouts to be submitted for approval. The option to download the file becomes available after approval is received, ensuring that only appropriately branded layouts make it to print.
  • Dynamic Cropping – Saepio Print makes photo cropping simple. The AutoCropTM feature automatically crops an image whenever the layout is resized. WebCrop is a ratio-based technology that runs from a Web browser, eliminating the need for separate desktop applications when creating printable marketing materials.
  • Reporting Capabilities – Saepio Print includes a full assortment of reporting tools that generate valuable information about usage. Results can be viewed online or downloaded as a tab-delimited file.
Saepio Print Screenshot

Saepio Print Screenshot

Saepio Technologies: Saepio PrintStore

Saepio PrintStore provides all of the features that Saepio Print does (See Saepio Print for its product information), with the addition of Saepio Storefront’s e-commerce capabilities. So, in addition to web-to-print templating technology, this software also suffices as a management tool for “market-relevant versioning, hard goods fulfillment, and secure e-commerce”.

The Saepio Storefront tool offers users an easy way to develop and distribute materials such as direct mailers, brochures, and other sales/marketing collateral. To customize a document, one must simply open the template, adjust it to their liking and place it into the shopping cart. The software includes a back-end routing system that provides the ability to automatically route orders to a “variety of different fulfillment partners”.

For more information regarding Saepio PrintStore and its variable data and dynamic page scripting, e-commerce and backend fulfillment, marketing resource integration, extras, implementation and support, I urge you to click here and visit its website.

Saepio PrintStore Screenshot

Saepio PrintStore Screenshot

Saepio Technologies: Saepio LightsOut

Saepio LightsOut printing software combines all of the functionality of Saepio PrintStore (see Saepio PrintStore for its product information) with a next-generation process in automation technologies and JDF-enabled manufacturing equipment. For a print services provider, this software results in a top-level, web-through-print workflow with:

  • Storefront/E-Commerce – The print services provider creates and manages a uniquely designed storefront.
  • Web-to-print templating – Using’s Saepio Print’s integrated tools, the end user selects and customizes an item for printing. This can be completed using any web browser.
  • Order Entry – The user selects stock, quantity and other job data and places the order in the shopping cart.
  • Transaction/Checkout – The user purchases the item via credit card, user budget/account balance or authorized purchase requisition.
  • Transfer to JDF Automation – The customized item and order information is transferred to the print provider for fulfillment.
  • Determination of optimal layout for device selected for job – The system automatically surveys available resources, computes optimal imposition and schedules production process.
  • Passing job data to the press (works with multiple press controllers) – Details such as quantity, orientation, duplex and media size are passed to the press.
  • Instructions generated for press operator- Instructions on paper stock needed are displayed to the press operator. Upon loading stock, the press run begins.
  • Upon press completion – Additional instructions, such as which finishing equipment the job needs to be delivered to, are provided to the press operator. Appropriate job data and process instructions are passed to the finishing equipment.
  • Update Order Information in Saepio Storefront – The order status is updated for the Saepio Storefront user to view. Data is stored for reporting, reordering and other applications.
Saepio LightsOut Workflow

Saepio LightsOut Workflow

Saepio Technologies: Links/In the News

Below are some links to a number of interesting articles (in chronological order) relating to Saepio Technologies and/or web-to-print technology.

The following are links to some PDF’s having to do with Saepio’s Print products or related material.

Saepio Technologies is also mentioned in the books Street Fighter Marketing Solutions: How One-On-One Marketing Will Help You Overcome the Sales Challenges of Modern-Day Business by Jeff Slutsky (2007), and Brand Aid: An Easy Reference Guide to Solving Your Toughest Branding Problems and Strengthening Your Market Position by Brad VanAuken (2003).

Saepio Technologies: Resources used

*Please note* – anything in the post above in quotations or in a bullet point format were taken word for word from a source below…

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