Melville, NY (Feb. 22, 2022) — MarkSYS Holdings LLC, a leading technology-driven marketing and communications company based in Rocklin, California, recently became the first marketing service provider to install a varioPRINT iX-series press on the west coast, as part of its larger shift to becoming a one-stop-shop for its customers. MarkSYS, a Canon Solutions America, Inc. customer, uses its fleet of Canon inkjet and black-and-white toner-based technology to continue developing new applications and service offerings that meet new and existing demands and expectations, particularly in the direct mail and marketing communications space.
MarkSYS has a keen understanding of today’s print trends and customer needs as well as the importance of keeping up with a rapidly evolving industry, particularly in digital and print marketing as well as omnichannel communications. This understanding, along with an awareness of clients’ needs and the technology needed to meet their demands in a timely manner, give MarkSYS its competitive edge.
“Studying the print industry for many years, seeing first-hand the ways in which the industry is continuously evolving, and noticing the influences that lead to new trends in print are what make MarkSYS so unique,” said Tabrez Rajani, president and CEO of MarkSYS. “Our capability in understanding our clients’ needs and their technology, combined with our production capabilities and being able to get their requests out quickly and correctly, are why we have continued to be as successful as we have been, and why we are able to continue expanding to reach new markets and new customers.”
“Having the proper technology in place has allowed for us to satisfy quick turnaround times as well as short-run and long-run jobs on the fly. That is the key driver for us and for our clients and is a standard we hold ourselves to and one that our customers expect of us,” said Rajani. “Our clients are looking to execute jobs through a specialized workflow that consists of variable data processing and heavy personalization, and we are proud to be that reliable source for them.”
Given today’s print marketing climate, print providers need to remain nimble enough to accommodate rapid changes in creatives or variable data and be able to get those materials out the door quickly. According to Rajani, it is those long-run, preplanned campaigns that have limited flexibility with a typically longer shelf-life, which can cost clients time and money.
“When it comes down to it, clients have a vision of print-on-demand. When clients are setting up campaigns ahead of time, a lot of the time they are offsetting postcard work or using long-run, which require a lot of planning and management. This can be very expensive. We want clients to know that they don’t need to spend large amounts of upfront capital in offset printing where materials may end up sitting on shelves for a period of time. Instead, we offer a way to execute what is needed and exactify print demands, saving our customers a lot of time and money,” said Rajani.
Rajani said that the greatest benefits to clients of this print-on-demand mindset are “more nimbleness in clients’ marketing and communication and the ability to adapt quickly to what is needed rather than locked in costs for shelving, storage and management.”
MarkSYS’ digital to print communications are tied to its larger effort of streamlining communications for clients and developing specialized marketing platforms and solutions as a result. This provides the option to create custom solutions based on what the client needs, rather than pigeon-holing their needs to fit its existing applications. Now more than ever, it is important for print providers to offer that flexibility to customers.
“Especially as businesses are reopening, and as a result, communication needs to end-customers are changing when it comes to turnaround time. It is embedded into our company’s DNA to constantly re-evaluate our applications and options to customers so they can get back to their immediate business needs and remain confident that their digital and print needs are being met. Having the right processes to support those needs is helpful as the need to communicate to customers may come up rapidly,” said Rajani.
Specific to the varioPRINT iX-series, having the ability to trust its quality and its speed of getting materials out is key for MarkSYS. Given the greater expectation for color accuracy and media flexibility, the varioPRINT iX-series continues to instill confidence in the MarkSYS team that these presses will take them into the future.
Looking to what the future may present for print providers, Rajani predicts even faster turnaround times with even more personalization. Rajani explains these changes to be more specifically “shorter-run lengths but with greater personalization, as well as smaller campaigns. And with smaller campaigns, I think we can also expect to see more intent-driven, data-driven and insight-driven campaigns.”
The continued increase in price for postage could lead to continued higher cost for direct mail campaigns and may lead companies to re-evaluate budgets and focus more intently on ROI. For print providers, this can mean the same re-evaluation in technology and workflow processes. With this shift in mind, MarkSYS chose to invest in the varioPRINT iX-series, as it showcased capabilities needed to grow and adapt with the print industry.
“We see the varioPRINT iX-series being a part of our daily operations for a long time. These macro changes we are seeing in the industry were certainly a driver for us in purchasing the press. And in turn, with quality being a prime consideration for the kinds of clients we are targeting, the varioPRINT iX makes a lot of sense,” said Rajani. “The consistency in quality and color is really impressive. From a turnaround time as well as from a cost standpoint, it makes a lot more sense for us to provide high-value output on the varioPRINT iX.”
Along with the varioPRINT iX-series, MarkSYS has also recently installed two varioPRINT 6000 TITAN toner devices for its black-and-white printing needs. Its switch from hybrid service provider to mostly Canon facility has helped to streamline a lot of projects, as well as become its anchor for all monochrome production work.
“From a cost for impressions and overall operations standpoint, within the first two weeks of installation, we were able to run over a million and a half prints. There was a great ease of migration with our existing workflow. Our goal is to get to 24/7 within the next few months, and we will look to expand our fleet once we hit that mark. We are on our way to achieving that goal.”
“We strive to empower our customers through innovative technology to catapult their business objectives and expand into new market applications, and MarkSYS is a shining example of this effort,” said Francis McMahon, executive vice president, Production Print Solutions, Canon Solutions America. “The print industry continues to evolve right before our eyes, and our priority is to continue ensuring our customers are well equipped with the latest in powerful inkjet technology to satisfy the ever-changing needs and demands from their customers. It is an honor to be a part of MarkSYS’ journey.”
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About Canon Solutions America Inc.
Canon Solutions America Inc. provides industry-leading enterprise, production, and large format printing solutions, supported by exceptional professional service offerings. Canon Solutions America, Inc. helps companies of all sizes discover ways to improve sustainability, increase efficiency, and control costs in conjunction with high volume, continuous feed, digital and traditional printing, and document management solutions. A wholly owned subsidiary of Canon U.S.A., Inc., Canon Solutions America, Inc. is headquartered in Melville, NY, and has sales and service locations across the U.S.
