Variable-data printing (VDP) is a form of on-demand (short turn around) printing in which elements such as text and graphics can be changed from one printed piece to the next, without stopping the printing process and using information from a database 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 great for direct marketing, customer relationship management, advertising and addressing on self-mailers, brochures or postcard campaigns.

The technique is a direct outgrowth of digital printing, which harnesses computer databases and digital print devices and highly effective software to create high-quality, full color documents, with a look and feel comparable to conventional offset printing.

Variable data printing enables the mass customization of documents via digital print technology, as opposed to the mass production of a single document using offset lithography. For instance, instead of producing 10,000 copies of a single document, delivering a single message to 10,000 customers, variable data printing could print 10,000 unique documents with customized messages for each customer.

Benton Card Company incorporates both of the two main operational modes to VDP. In one methodology, the document template and the variable information are both sent to a Raster Image Processor  (RIP), which combines the two to produce each unique document. The other methodology, commonly used for larger files, is to combine the static and variable elements prior to printing, using specialized VDP software applications. These applications produce an optimized print stream, such as PostScript and PPML, which organize the print stream efficiently so that the RIP only processes the static elements once.

There are several exciting levels of variable printing. The most basic level involves changing the salutation, name or proving a unique number on each copy. More complicated variable data printing uses ‘versioning’, where there may be differing amounts of customization for different markets, with text and images changing for groups of addresses based upon which segment of the market is being addressed. Finally there is full variability printing, where the text and images can be altered for each individual address. All three types of variable data printing begin with a basic design that indicates which sections can be altered and a database of information that fills in the changeable fields.

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.