For several posts I've talked about the examples of communication that have arrived in my own mail box. Some were from financial service providers and some from government entities, all in need of extreme makeovers. This time let's go to the next level and talk about what really changes the game for businesses of all sizes. Whether you are a small business, a home-based business, or one of the largest enterprises in the world, we have something for you!

Let's start with the SOHO businesses. You might hope there is nothing you need to do but invoice for your services or products, tend to your web page, and get out of the way while the money pours in. It rarely works like this, so how to you get to BAM? TransPromo! Really!

Look at the invoices, packing slips and other statements you send to your customers. Even if you generate them in MS Word or out of QuickBooks (or other favorite program), you can use these documents to tell your marketing story! Especially if you are using your ESP 9 or other Kodak All in One printer for your printing, you can integrate color, images, and targeted messages to your customers to cross sell and up sell!

If you are using a billing service, check with them to see if they would accept a library of marketing files to be added when the bills go out!

For larger businesses using higher volume printers like the Kodak DIGIMASTER for billing, TransPromo in black and white can be incredibly effective if you tune your messages to your customers needs and spending habits!

And, for the largest businesses, data-driven conversations on the bill or statement should be an integral part of your customer communication program!

Have questions? Drop me a line! I have lots of examples!

Coming up on October 1, 2009 is the first milestone for anyone producing customer-facing bills and statements in the consumer credit card or consumer loan space. Beginning in October and ending July 1, 2010 are a series of hurdles that redefine the requirements of what must appear in these customer-facing documents. The new rules govern everything from formatting requirements to additional types of information to be provided on page one.

For most billers this is old news. Keeping an eye on regulatory guidelines and changes is part of the requirement of printing bills and statements. Most billers have active projects to redesign their customer-facing documents to meet the new regulations so they will be ready well ahead of the deadlines.

In addition to simplified disclosure language, some of the design requirements to be met by July 1, 2010 include:

A summary table, with specified type sizes and weights, and specific placement of some information.
- Interest charges & fees must be grouped separately, w/ a monthly total for each.
- Interest charges must be itemized according to the type of transaction (such as interest charged on purchases, and interest charged on cash advances).
- Separate year-to-date totals for fees and interest charges are also required

Rules require some specific formatting that could add requirements for 3-4 inches on statement page 1
- New line item breakout for fees and interest paid
- Late payment warnings located close to due date
- Reporting for year-to-date fees and interest paid
- Minimum payment due must identify time to payoff making minimum payments. If only an example is given there must be a phone contact to get customer actual information.
- The Schumer Box (required since 2000) includes:
    - Annual fee (if applicable)
    - Annual Percentage Rate (APR) for purchases
    - Other APRs (balance transfers, cash advances, default APRs)
    - Grace period
    - Finance calculation method
    - Other transaction fees (balance transfers, cash advances, late payments, over the credit limit)

Credit card companies are required to list long-term rates in at least 18-point type and other key disclosures in 12-point type.
- New sections needed if terms are changing; 45 day advance notice.

While these requirements start out for credit card statements, they are being adopted for consumer loans, education loans, mortgages and most other billing applications in financial services. It also appears to be moving into the area of solicitations, so even direct mailers will need to keep an eye on the regulations!

Need to know more.. let me know!

At Kodak, we've been talking about forms replacement for years. But what does it mean and how does it apply to your business? If you're a commercial or data-driven printer, you might be designing and printing offset forms that are printed using offset presses. These forms usually include company logos, images, and static messaging in monochrome, spot, or four-color process. Sometimes large quantities of these forms are printed and then stored for future use. When the need arises to produce a mailing using these pre-printed forms, they're pulled out of inventory, put onto a digital printing device, imprinted with black variable content, finished and put into the mail stream. Sometimes, the pre-printed forms expire before they're all used up and new pre-printed forms need to be designed, printed and stored again.

Today, using "white paper in" digital printing solutions from Kodak, you can combine high quality monochrome, spot or full color printing and black variable content in one production step .

We refer to this as forms replacement. By implementing this production method, you can save time and money by eliminating steps in the production cycle. There is no longer a need to make plates, make-ready a press, store the forms in inventory and imprint at a later date. Now, you can print high quality forms that are completely personalized and highly targeted for just-in-time delivery.

In Summary, implementing a "forms replacement" production method helps you:

• Reduce production time
• Reduce waste on press
• Reduce inventory space
• Reduce waste due to obsolescence
• Get the job into the mail stream faster
• Produce more effective customer communications
• Keep more profit in-house

Learn more about forms replacement and Kodak's Digital Printing Solutions .