Variable Data Printing (VDP) is a digital printing technique that makes it possible to customise individual elements within a print job. This can include text, images, graphics or even entire layouts. VDP is often used for personalised marketing materials, such as direct mail, where each printed item contains information specific to the recipient. VDP uses databases and software to control variations in the printing process, enabling a customised approach.
Application and advantages of VDP
VDP is used in many areas, including
- Marketing and advertising: Creation of personalised mailings that are directly tailored to the interests and needs of the recipient.
- Transaction printing: Customisation of invoices, account statements and other documents with specific customer data.
- Publishing: Production of personalised books or magazines that are adapted for individual readers.
- Invitations and event materials: Personalised invitations and event programmes that speak directly to the recipient.
The advantages of VDP are:
- Increased relevance: Personalisation increases the relevance of printed materials, leading to higher reader retention and better response rates.
- More effective communication: Customised messages can be communicated in a more targeted manner, which increases the effectiveness of marketing campaigns.
- Cost efficiency: Despite higher production costs per unit, the improved response rates and more targeted approach can reduce overall costs.
Why proofs are necessary for VDP
Proofs are essential in the VDP process to ensure that the personalised elements are printed correctly and consistently. Proofs help to ensure that the variable data is correctly integrated into the design. Errors in the database or layout can be recognised and corrected before final production. A proof shows exactly how the personalised elements will look in the finished print product, avoiding misunderstandings and errors.
As with conventional print jobs, colour accuracy is also crucial with VDP. Proofs make it possible to check colour reproduction and ensure that all individual elements are printed in the desired colours. This is particularly important when variable images or graphics are used, which may be available in different colour variants.
Proofs offer the customer the opportunity to check and approve the print product before final production. This gives the customer security and enables any adjustments or corrections to be made before the print job is fully executed. This ensures that the end product meets the customer’s expectations and requirements.
More articles related to this topic:
Fogra60 proofs for metal decor printing available
Proofs with Digimarc EAN codes and verification
Digimarc is a digital watermark that can be used to embed information in images, videos or other media. Digimarc watermarks are invisible to the human eye, but remain recognisable to special software or devices. Digimarc is becoming increasingly popular in the packaging sector in particular, as this technology allows the digits of the EAN barcode and more to be applied invisibly to all areas of the packaging. Digimarc and EAN barcode at the supermarket checkout When scanning at the checkout, the checkout staff do not have to search for the … read more
Colour deviations in 2023 PANTONE Color Bridge Guides
After Eddy Hagen pointed out in this posts, that there were some major colour deviations between the brand new PANTONE Solid Coated Guide 2023 and the previous version especially for the PANTONE 2635 C, I was curious to lookup the same colours in the new PANTONE Color Bridge Coated Guide of 2023 and compare the colours with the previous version. I measured a dE00 of 8,15 between the two colours that Eddy mentioned, which is really far apart from how accurate PANTONE colours should match between the different PANTONE guides. … read more
RGB colour spaces explained
RGB colour spaces are colour systems that represent different hues with the three primary colours red, green and blue. RGB colour spaces are used in digital image processing, photography and computer technology to precisely define colours. The most important RGB colour spaces and their special features are: sRGB sRGB is the most widely used RGB colour space and is used by most monitors, printers and digital cameras. It was developed by HP and Microsoft in the 1990s to create a standard for colour representation on the internet and on various … read more
Fogra Colour Management Symposium 2026 in Munich from 24 to 26 February
The most important colour management event takes place every two years in Munich: the Fogra Colour Management Symposium. Once again this year, all professionals are invited to make the pilgrimage to Munich: two days of lectures, discussions and a Bavarian evening await participants. Matthias Betz, owner of proof.de, will also be there again: for many years, he has been taking advantage of the opportunity to exchange ideas with colleagues and friends, learn about new technologies, hardware and software, and talk to colleagues from Fogra, freieFarbe, GMG and many more. In … read more
Incorrect grayscale display in Adobe Photoshop and InDesign
Adobe products are ideal for image retouching and layout and handle RGB and CMYK colour profiles very well. However, when editing and retouching grayscale images, for example for a black-and-white photo book, the experience is quite different. Suddenly, images look completely different in InDesign than they do in Photoshop, and even when exporting the image to PDF, greyscale images are suddenly treated differently. This article explains where the problems lie with black-and-white images and greyscale profiles in InDesign and Photoshop layouts, and how you can work in a more ‘colour-accurate’ … read more
Proof.de is featured twice in the “Fogra Aktuell” magazine
In the current issue of Fogra News “Fogra Aktuell” Proof GmbH is involved in two places. Firstly, a summary of the Fogra report on our first FOGRA55 certification for seven-colour printing with extended colour space in CMYKOGV appeared. You can also find more information on our FOGRA55 certification on the Fogra website: https://fogra.org/en/press-releases/fogracert-erste-cpc-zertifizierung-fuer-fogra55-cmykogv-330 and on proofing.de: And secondly, there was a report on the completion of the research project for textile digital printing, FOGRA58, in which we were allowed to investigate and test the proof capability of the new textile … read more
“Digital First” often means “Colour Problems Second!”
Whether it’s a large global corporation or a small company, the following often applies to designs or redesigns today: we develop everything for digital first.
We passed the first proof certification for the 7C proof under FOGRA55
A few days ago Proof GmbH was the first company to be certified for proofing for the new 7C exchange colour space FOGRA55. Fogra has developed characterisation data for extended multicolour printing with the printing colours CMYKOGV – i.e. cyan, magenta, yellow, black (contrast), orange, green and violet – FOGRA55 as part of a research project over the past few years. The characterisation data and the ICC profile Ref-ECG-CMYKOGV_FOGRA55_TAC300.icc have been published on the Fogra website in recent weeks. We have now carried out the certification via GMG ColorProof, as … read more
Proof GmbH 2025 once again Fogra and Fogra “Spot Cert” certified
This year we once again created proofs for Fogra certification and sent them to Munich-Aschheim for testing. With these proof prints, which we print according to three different proof standards and on three different papers, we point out that we not only deliver excellent proof quality through internal quality controls and checks, but that the quality of our proofs is also measured and confirmed by external experts. We have now had test prints certified by Fogra for the 12th time. We have also been “Spot-cert” certified for the display of … read more