Over the next five years, for example, digital printing is projected to grow 11 per cent annually, according to market research firm CAP Ventures. The firm further projects that the total revenue generated worldwide with digital colour printers and presses producing 41 pages per minute or more will grow by 26 per cent annually through 2007.

Digital colour printing's economical short runs and personalisation capabilities can also improve the targeting, response rates and overall effectiveness of such integrated communications programmes. Printer service providers who can support these programmes and help agencies use new media to better track to their clients' goals will have an advantage in landing agency business. Following are eight tips for print providers seeking to sell digital colour printing to creative design professionals:

1. Target agencies with business-to-business clients

Agencies that support businesses communicating to consumers generally focus on building brand awareness through mass media, such as television and radio. In contrast, business-to-business (B2B) agencies tend to have more limited budgets and narrower targets that they reach through trade magazines, direct mail and sales collateral. Digital colour printing delivers the highly targeted, cost-effective print that makes these programmes thrive. One additional point: B2B firms tend to have smaller marketing departments than business-to-consumer (B2C) outfits, so they rely more on the agency for everything from marketing strategy to media approval - and print services provider selection.

2. At the agency, target the production manager

According to a survey from the internationally renowned Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) in the US, the production manager is the most common agency contact to the print community. In numerous agencies, the production manager also plays a role in educating the creative department on new technology options, making that person both a sales target and a marketing partner who can help the print provider sell its services to the agency's creatives.

3. Demonstrate the image quality

Designers are unforgiving judges of image quality, yet many may be working with dated references for toner-based print, which has only recently become an effective substitute for offset in most applications. Bring designers up-to-date and set correct expectations with a sample book that shows offset and digital prints of the same text and image files. Consider enabling designers to submit test files via the Web to receive a free digital print sample of their design.

4. More advanced technical infrastructure supports stronger partnerships

Supporting a sophisticated integrated marketing campaign typically requires a set of advanced capabilities that can include variable information colour printing, Web systems programming and design, telemarketing, fulfilment and other services. Some print providers develop these capabilities, others partner for some or all. Most count digital colour printing among their base core competencies, and most find that broader infrastructure support strengthens partnerships with agencies.

5. Demonstrate effective return on marketing investment

For the best results, print providers should link their services offerings to the agency's media selection criteria: reaching target markets, cost and budget considerations, and marketing strategy implementation. In other words, print providers need to demonstrate that digital colour is the most cost-effective alternative for successfully reaching target markets. The pitch is most effective when backed by examples showing a significant return on the marketing investment.

6. Quality and dependability are more critical than price

That's right: price is not the agency's key factor in print vendor selection. The RIT survey found that pressure on the agency to meet deadlines and deliver quality led respondents to select dependability as the top factor in selecting print services providers. Quality was second, followed by turnaround time and ease of doing business. Price ranked fifth.

7. Help creatives design for digital

Print service providers can help creative designers improve their printed work by providing guidebooks and seminars on designing for digital.

Many print providers and industry associations publish materials and can provide assistance to help in this effort. In addition, colour-variable information printing introduces new design challenges, such as accounting for all the possible image and text variations in a piece. That requires close collaboration with variable information programmers - relationships that print providers would do well to foster.

8. Measure the results

Print service providers should ensure that a measurement system is in place for programmes they run, and the best measurements use 'boardroom terminology'. For example, one creative group in the study was able to show that every pound spent on marketing communications in one campaign resulted in £3,000 in revenue. Such measurements increase the likelihood that the agency and its clients will buy into future programmes, and they are useful as a sales tool for prospects and for fine-tuning programmes to optimise results. The RIT study found that a change in sales was the most frequent measurement (29 per cent), followed by the number of sales leads (24 per cent), the response rate for a direct mail piece (23 per cent) and ROI (6 per cent). Most measurement programmes were conducted by clients (37 per cent), though client-agency partnerships were nearly as frequent (34 per cent) and agencies sometimes took on the task alone (22 per cent).

Help lead the transformation

More than ever before, marketing executives are looking for more efficient ways to communicate and share business information. Many are finding these efficiencies in integrated communications that mix old and new media to deliver improved business results. Digital printing technology plays a critical role in this more efficient media mix, while also offering printers their best opportunity for revenue and business growth.Printer service providers who help lead this transformation by building strategic partnerships with creative agencies around integrated communications opportunities will be well-positioned to capture this growth.