The successful UK-developed Coreprint cloud based online print management solution is now being launched in Australia, through a joint venture between developer Vpress and Tharstern ANZ.

Kelvin Bell, sales director for Coreprint developer Vpress UK says “Coreprint is already integrated with the Tharstern MIS at common customer sites in the UK, and provides an unrivalled, comprehensive end-to-end online print management and production solution. We are delighted to be working with Tharstern in Australasia to bring our services and support to the local market.”

In Australasia, both the Tharstern and Vpress distributor companies are majority-owned by New Zealand company Mosaic Solutions Group.

Tresta Keegan, managing director of Tharstern ANZ says, “The history of Vpress, their people’s deep knowledge of print, and ability to recognise that everything begins and ends with collaboration and partnership is what sets both the company and the product apart.

“The typical profile of an individual buying print is a 28 year old female graduate with no print background. How people engage with technology in their personal life is how they expect to see it mirrored in their professional experiences. They also want to deal with companies and products reflective of their employer’s brand and business objectives. Both Tharstern and Vpress understand this, as well as the subtleties of the market and how it is evolving.

With a unified Coreprint Tharstern MIS workflow, the end user is working online within a dynamic interface, signing off their artwork any time of the day or night and sending it straight into the MIS production workflow. Keegan says, “So even though variable print products are a commodity, the print room has now become a natural extension of the customer’s desktop. It is so much easier to create stronger ties with customers as there is a powerful shared ownership of the online solution. Coreprint and the Tharstern MIS are two sides of the same coin. End-to-end system automation means volumes increase, immediate savings are realised, and workforce savings are ongoing.”

Coreprint is a scalable, cloud-based service, compliant with any browser and usable on any device. It provides users with unlimited storefronts, an easy-to-use interface and an open API so it can be integrated to any other system and have a fully customised appearance. Variable or static products managed through Coreprint are not restricted to just printed collateral, so an online catalogue of products can be diverse. This opens up opportunities, servicing more purchasing requirements on behalf of the customer for things other than just print, and being more than just a print supplier.

Keegan says “The Coreprint Tharstern integration combines the best of all models as a cloud-based SaaS service, fully integrated with the Tharstern MIS, which can also be optionally hosted in the cloud or installed locally as an enterprise MIS system.”

Both companies say this is a system for any size of print operation. Coreprint is modular and it is not priced out of reach for smaller printers. Keegan says, “There is a nominal upfront fee for setup and a pay by usage charge thereafter so the more orders it generates, the more everyone wins.” It also means printers can test their customer base with the solution without committing to high capital expenditure.

Keegan says, “Vpress has been developing Coreprint for the last 15 years. The Vpress people are self-subscribed technology problem-solvers, and their expertise and passion is obvious in the system, the service they provide and simply what people have to say about them. Vpress has an extensive range of customer case studies we are working our way through to understand their particular approach to a customer brief and the ingenious ways they have addressed end-user requirements.”

Matt Murray, general manager for Tharstern Australia and director of Vpress Australia says, “We’re looking forward to talking to our own customers to familiarise them with Coreprint, but we will also continue to integrate Tharstern with other solutions from other vendors. The customer will always drive that decision. Whatever fits their business strategy is what we are here to support.”

Tharstern has won a reputation as one of the world’s leading management information systems developers, with many Australian printers using the Tharstern MIS as the nerve centre of their businesses, also pioneering sophisticated workflows with seamless integration to numerous pre-flight and imposition workflows, automating processes on-the-fly.

Murray says, “There are currently half a dozen seamlessly integrated sites in the UK with that number set to grow quickly with our Australasian customers poised to transition from other solutions to Coreprint. There is a mutual long-term strategy between both Tharstern and Vpress, and that longevity of partnership gives us the best of both worlds: powerhouse storefront and powerhouse MIS.”

Kelvin Bell says, “We are genuinely excited about the Australian market. We have worked with Tharstern before and know their excellent reputation in the market. We’ve seen first-hand their commitment to customer service and quality solutions, so establishing a joint venture in Australia to distribute Coreprint was a clear opportunity.

“The first introductions have been going exceptionally well. What Coreprint provides to printers is just not available elsewhere, but it is an essential service expected in today’s business world. Tharstern understand the dynamics and challenges affecting printers, which is exactly what we have been looking for in a partner.

Coreprint web-to-print has arrived in Australia, and its developers say it will help printers address the issues in today’s print world of intense competition and pricing pressures.

Kelvin Bell, sales director at the Coreprint developer Vpress says, “Printers in today’s market need to keep their customers close and target new customers and new markets. At the same time they also need to automate their workflows to reduce costs in production and administration. Vpress has spent the last 15 years developing Coreprint to be that solution.

“Coreprint is being used strongly in the UK and Europe, and is just being released in the US. Europe’s biggest printer and biggest print buyer both use Coreprint, but part of its appeal is that it is a scalable solution with transaction based charges so users pay for the traffic through the system. Printers can grow with it and build up a customer base, using Coreprint as a platform with which to operate in the current, high-demand digital era.”

Bell says, “Coreprint is cloud-based, and is on the highest security level possible. Hosted in Amazon S3 cloud, the protocols are those used by the pharmaceutical industry. Users need have no concern that the infrastructure is anything but the strongest possible. We have many global entities who are extremely security conscious using it.”

Coreprint operates from any platform, browser or SSO as there are two versions of it: one to satisfy users who need a more locked down system for security purposes or those who cannot use moving animation or are limited to certain browsers. Then there is the ‘sexier’ version called CoreAspire which is responsive, so it intuitively resizes the layout and menus to suit the screen and device it is viewed on.

Bell says, “The templates allow virtually any type of commercial print job, from business card to say a 132pp brochure which needs digital asset management and variable data printing. It provides a proof to the customer and allows them to submit the order into the MIS workflow. Once the job is produced it goes into stock, into the warehouse or is delivered.”

For the printer there is no software to install. Coreprint technology is all Vpress’ own proprietary software, so this means Vpress maintain ultimate control over development decisions also protecting their ability to be proactive when they or customers see an opportunity. Users are also not indirectly exposed by using embedded software from third party application providers who may make a vital element within the solution, out of reach due to a price review, the retirement of a product or the sale of the business, something very much a risk and a trend in recent years when it comes to software in the print industry.

According to Vpress, for the printer it delivers 40 per cent production savings, and 20 per cent administration savings, big numbers. Coreprint also provides added value benefits to the printer such as an ability to generate QR codes, digital asset management, incentive and rewards schemes, credit card integration, open links to campaign management solutions, dynamic content management so graphics and text change particular to the intended recipient. And the list goes on.

Tresta Keegan, managing director of Tharstern ANZ says, “Coreprint is a white label product with many UK and European printers passing the technology off as their own, creating leverage with customers by offering the service and securing national contracts. In some situations, printers are charging end-users a system or transaction fee on top of the cost of the product ordered. This not only covers the cost of the Coreprint SaaS whilst pushing orders automatically into the workflow or to outwork partners, it has created a new income stream by piggy-backing onto a storefront that is a catalyst for high-volume transactions. “The directors of Vpress UK come from the print industry, and the Coreprint product is mature in its development cycle. We can tap into their history which has earned Vpress some 3,000 users in 168 countries. We are enjoying many aha moments when sitting in on demos with them. They have taken the product places we have not seen with other solutions.”

Matt Murray, general manager for Tharstern Australia and director of Vpress Australia agrees with this, adding, “We are still coming to grips with the scope of what Coreprint is capable of. As one customer who has previewed it said, it has expanded their horizons in a way they had not expected. That is exactly what we have been looking for. We aim to bring to the table a low-cost-of-entry, feature-rich, SaaS web ordering platform that is underpinned by an industry proven workflow and MIS such as Tharstern.”

Coreprint has an open API which means, using web services it can be integrated as the engine behind existing websites (user interfaces) or it can be enriched with additional functionality meaning printers are still in a position create a unique offering. It will appeal to anyone wanting a cost effective quick way of getting a customer online with no hassles. But it will especially appeal to the innovators out there who want to broaden their target markets into larger segments (B2B and B2C) via a far more sophisticated offering. They will be able to strengthen their position as more than a printer but as a technology partner and no matter how you look at it, print is all about service and behind that, technology.

Printers looking to place their business firmly behind an online ordering powerhouse to exploit opportunities can call Matt Murray on 0437 863 457 to discuss their needs.

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