If you lean in a little closer, Bill and Neil Zerrusen of Three Z Printing want to share a secret with you. One of the biggest allies today’s marketers can utilize is the United States Postal Service (USPS). In a time when the Digital Age tends to grab most of the attention, marketers who understand the potential and power print offers are the ones with the upper hand.
As long-time print veterans, when they saw the rollout of the financial incentives for USPS’ 2025 promotions, the Zerrusens knew the substantial discounts on postage rates would not only significantly help reduce mailing costs, but also be another driving factor on how and why print is a difference maker.
The Three Z Printing team has these types of conversations every day. One of the largest family-owned commercial web printers in the country, the Teutopolis, Illinois, company is a print leader that continues to stay on the forefront of giving its customers access to all of the groundbreaking advantages print technologies have to offer. “We can help our customers take advantage of USPS discounts for cost savings while upleveling their direct mail campaigns for increased engagement and response rates,” Neil, COO, says.
Three Z Printing’s commitment to the power of print technology aligns seamlessly with the broader industry movement toward revitalizing print’s role in today’s marketing landscape.
As digital media continues to saturate our daily lives, more companies are recognizing the unique and irreplaceable value that print brings to the table. This forward-thinking approach is why they are embracing initiatives like Canon’s “Print is Life” campaign (see sidebar, “At your Fingertips: What Being a ‘Print is Life’ Supporter Offers”), which underscores the enduring power of print in creating memorable, impactful experiences that resonate beyond the digital noise.
“With the campaign, Canon is helping breathe life into the opportunity print offers in giving marketers the advantages they need to foster deeper, more engaging connections that linger long after the moment has passed.”
The “Print is Life” campaign, which provides information on topics such as direct mail, email and social media, is supported with data from organizations such as TwoSides and ScienceDirect. By utilizing the power of print, Canon is showcasing the tangible magic in holding a beautifully crafted piece of work that captivates the senses and commands attention in a way digital cannot. With the campaign, Canon is helping breathe life into the opportunity print offers in giving marketers the advantages they need to foster deeper, more engaging connections that linger long after the moment has passed.
“There’s no question that print is more powerful today than it ever has been,” Bill, President, says. “And it is no surprise to me that our third generation of leaders—our younger generation—hasn’t hesitated to embrace it and utilize it to bring our customers a competitive advantage. I’m excited to see Three Z lead our customers into the future of print.”
One of the ways Three Z is charging into the future of print is with its relationship with Canon. This includes the investment it made in the Canon ProStream web-fed inkjet press—a move the Three Z team believes further ingrains the company into the power and promise of innovative print techniques. “We are embracing new technologies that enable us to offer new capabilities to our customers,” Neil says. “We don’t make these types of investments lightly, but when we saw Canon’s inkjet technology, we knew right away it was the right decision for us—and for our customers. Not only does the Canon ProStream have stunning high quality, but the speed is phenomenal and the advantages to us and to our customers are very clear.”
As part of the commitment Three Z has made to print, the company offers its customers a slate of innovative print techniques designed to bolster their messages, including:
- Tactile, sensory and interactive print, which helps enhance customer engagement with mail using advanced print innovations in paper and stock, substrates, inks, interactive elements and finishing techniques.
- Personalized color transpromo, which incorporates color marketing messaging to foster a better connection and response rate.
- Emerging technologies, which help create interactive direct mail by incorporating emerging technologies like augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), mixed reality (MR), near-field communication (NFC), video in print, and multi-channel mail integration with digital assistants/smart speakers.
- Reply mail IMbA (Intelligent Mail barcode Accounting), a process that helps reduce processing times and ensures mail availability is consistent and timely with intelligent mail barcode accounting.
- Retargeting, which can help capture lost sales by retargeting a website visitor that doesn’t convert with a timely and personalized direct mail piece.
Opportunities Abound
Chris Wells called it “digital fatigue.” That was the feedback DS Graphics | Universal Wilde heard from some of its customers when it was looking into more efficient ways to service production levels, meet print demands, reduce turnaround times and increase revenue.
It was 2021. Along with dealing with the ramifications of moving into its state-of-the-art facility, the world was dealing with the fallout of a once-in-a-lifetime pandemic. During those stay-at-home times, everyone was being bombarded with digital outreach. Wells, Executive VP, and his team knew that print could be the perfect complement to the barrage of digital messaging over the airwaves. “It was clear that our customers were experiencing some digital fatigue, so getting something in the mail was somewhat exciting again.”
The addition of the Canon ProStream 1800 not only hit all of the standards DS Graphics | Universal needed, but it fit perfectly into the Lowell, Massachusetts, marketing services provider’s strategy of print as the ultimate marketing asset. As a supporter of Canon’s “Print is Life” initiative, Wells was eager to work with Canon to push the boundaries of print to meet—and exceed—market demands. “In my opinion, helping our customers to establish goals for ROI, tracking progress and providing rich analysis on the results is the most important factor in our business today—particularly for marketing/acquisition campaigns. If we cannot generate data in response, print campaigns will be obsoleted at a rapid pace.”
Wells says that today’s savvy marketers continue to utilize Artificial Intelligence (AI) and other tools to quickly analyze ROI and ROAS across various channels. And, if there is no, or limited, data for print, they will not be a recommended strategy. “The key for us is to encourage our clients to build in devices that convert the print piece into a trackable, digital response. Utilizing tools such as Informed Delivery, personalized QR codes, PURLs, call center and website source tracking, digital voice assistant integration, overall lift metrics based on geofencing where direct mail is hitting, etc. is critical.”
In many cases, Wells says it needs to put these tracking mechanisms in place for our clients. “In the end, it is well worth the effort.”
The Difference Maker
One of the qualities that sets OneTouchPoint apart from its competitors is its commitment to delivering purpose-built technology solutions that combine local marketing, brand management, state-of-the-art print capabilities, and complete production and fulfillment solutions. The goal, as Rob Tynan, VP of Operations, says is to build solutions and services that support its customers’ day-to-day tasks. This gives their customers time to focus on the bigger picture in the alcohol and beverage, financial services, franchise and retail, healthcare, healthcare insurance and manufacturing sectors.
The thINK member and leading technology and marketing execution services provider understands its customers and their needs are at the core of everything it does. That’s why when the Hartland, Wisconsin, company needed to increase the breadth of everything it offers, it increased its investment in the Canon solution by securing multiple Canon varioPRINT 6000 toner presses.
“In my opinion, helping our customers to establish goals for ROI, tracking progress and providing rich analysis on the results is the most important factor in our business today.”
— Chris D. Wells, Executive VP, DS Graphics|Universal Wilde
Today, thanks to its partnership with Canon, OneTouchPoint continues to see a major shift away from high-volume runs and extensive inventory to more cost-effective and demand-driven models. “This change reduces waste due to obsolescence and minimizes inventory, all while helping our customers realize increased savings and faster turnaround times and has been widely popular with OneTouchPoint’s customer base,” Tynan says.
Today, OneTouchPoint’s ability to facilitate reduced waste and offer more targeted printing approaches has been pivotal in strengthening its customer relationships and loyalty. “Our efforts reinforce our reputation as both a reliable and forward-thinking partner.”
As the digital world becomes more and more crowded, Canon and its partners continue to prove that print is not just surviving, but thriving as a powerful tool for building meaningful engagements. Through the “Print is Life” campaign, Canon is championing the tactile, lasting impact that print offers, reminding us that some of the most profound connections are made not through fleeting clicks, but through the enduring touch of ink on paper.
At your Fingertips
What being a ‘Print is Life’ supporter offers
In its one minute, 28 second video, “3 Reasons to Try PRINT Marketing,” Canon offers several compelling reasons why your customers need print. The video is just one part of Canon’s “Print is Life” campaign, which offers a number of impressive statistics on print marketing’s ability to attract and convert audiences, as well as its sustainability credentials.
The campaign—and movement—which focuses on the power of print, enables production printers to download and distribute these materials to prospects and customers to help communicate the value of print.
The kit includes a co-brandable 11-inch x17-inch direct mailer (which folds down to 11 inches x 6 inches and is optimized to run on both the varioPRINT iX-series and imagePRESS V1350), a series of social media posts/images, and a co-brandable HTML email.
