SAN DIEGO Distributed print technology has made it possible for companies to more effectively market to their customers. With Web portals, digital presses and variable data software, it lets them electronically distribute marketing and sales material to local sales offices and print them on location. Companies can say good riddance to high costs and lengthy delays associated with shipping marketing materials.

The case for distributed print technology is even more compelling for companies trying to market products overseas. It lets them steer clear of the expensive and often problematic task of navigating customs or pushing packages though international mail. The technology is also the reason why KIC Software executives are smiling these days.

This small, San Diego-based company knows the pitfalls of trying to connect with overseas customers all too well. Before using distributed print technology, KIC Software would print its data sheets in bulk in an effort to lower their cost per sheet. All too often though, they ended up throwing away about 95 percent of them as unneeded and outdated copies. Understandably, this waste was too much for KIC Software to stomach. “We began using a color copier to print some of the smallest runs, but we never enjoyed paying a high price to ship second-rate data sheets,” said Bjorn Dahle, president of KIC Software.

KIC Software found its solution by tapping into a global distributed print network. The company partnered with International Technoprint Inc. (ITI), a company with full printing and translation services in Japan, China, Southeast Asia, Europe and the United States. “International Technoprint saves us more time and money than I thought was possible,” said Dahle. “Right off the bat, we eliminated all of our freight expenses. Plus, our data sheets now look really professional.”

With edge-to-edge printing and color matching, the two-page data sheets have a premium look and feel. “International Technoprint handles all of the production details, so we can concentrate on what we do best … developing quality software,” added Dahle.

From English to Japanese

Lisa Mashino, ITI project manager, manages every step of the distributed print process, from obtaining raw data in San Diego to printing completed data sheets in Malaysia. “We provide KIC Software with a cost-effective and efficient way to deliver quality, localized brochures to their overseas customers,” said Mashino.

The process begins when ITI obtains raw product data in English from KIC Software. ITI then translates the content into Japanese and reworks it into marketing copy appropriate for Japanese customers. While translation is not normally part of a distributed print workflow, it is essential when marketing internationally.

“Translating a brochure and having it printed in another country is a daunting task,” said Dahle. “It’s not easy to keep control over the process when you are so geographically removed. Lisa Mashino provides us with a single point of contact for everything from translation to printing.”

“Lisa has become familiar with our products and operations. She saves us a great deal of time that we would otherwise have to spend coordinating among multiple vendors.”

Data Sheet Production

After translating the content into Japanese, ITI reworks it into marketing copy appropriate for Japanese customers and places it into a two-page PDF template designed by KIC Software. These pre-made templates dramatically speed up the production process. KIC Software often signs off on a color proof after just one review.

Once the data sheet is approved, ITI immediately prints copies at its printing facility in Malaysia. ITI then delivers the completed data sheets to KIC Software’s nearby office in Singapore. By sending the data sheets across the Pacific Ocean electronically, KIC Software avoids long-distance mailing costs, customs delays and localization misfires. Also, as printing is dramatically less expensive in Asia, this distributed print process saves KIC Software about $4000 on every batch of data sheets produced.

“The cost to have them done in Asia is amazingly cheaper than printing them here and shipping them to Japan,” said Dahle. “This is one of the reasons we abandoned offset printing in the United States. Our products change so often that it was cost prohibitive to print 200, 500 or even 1000 offset here in the United States. Now, we can easily print 200 copies whenever and wherever we need them.”

The Bottom Line

Distributed print technology has given KIC software some major advantages in marketing to its overseas customers in Japan. With International Technoprint’s global printing network and translation services, KIC software effectively sidesteps international shipping expenses and delays. The software company also benefits from a dramatic improvement in print quality.

“We attend a large number of trade shows around the world and give the data sheets to countless potential customers,” said Dahle. “That first impression is critical to our business, and it’s a relief to know that International Technoprint is handling all of the details. The final product is always perfect.”

About KIC & ITI

Based in San Diego, KIC Software is the industry leader in automated thermal management tools and systems for reflow, wave, cure and semiconductor thermal processes. The company pioneered the development of oven profilers and process development tools, and then worked to create the next generation of thermal systems to help manufacturers optimize and monitor thermal processes. In addition to SlimKIC 2000-LF, products include standard SlimKIC 2000 and the KIC 24/7 continuous monitoring system. With the introduction of SlimKIC 2000-LF, the company continues to stay on the leading edge of process optimization and real-time thermal management systems.

Also based in San Diego, ITI provides complete product documentation solutions that enable manufacturing companies to write, translate, print and deliver user manuals and marketing collateral to customers anywhere in the world. ITI is the North American business arm of Yamagata Printing Group, a global company based in Yokohama, Japan. Yamagata Group companies in Japan, China, Southeast Asia, Europe and the United States include printing plants, printing services, technical document companies and Web content development firms. The Group has expertise in printing, translation, 3D animation, technical writing, desktop publishing, Web-based content development and technical support.