Information and Communication Technology as a Tool for Increasing Competitiveness in the Printing Industry

The study defines the role of information and communication technologies in the economy of the XXI century. It identifies the relationship between increasing competitiveness and the development of information and communication technologies in a printing company. The authors suggest that the basis for ensuring the competitiveness of a printing company is the actualisation of the role of information and communication technologies in the printing industry, as well as the following aspects of activity: automation and digital technologies; production of personalised printed products; use of electronic communication systems; application of information technologies that allow creating innovative printed products with complex design. The authors draw attention to the fact that it is important for the management to take into account potential problems when introducing innovations based on optimising the use of a complex of information and communication technologies in a company. Careful planning, analysis and assessment of possible consequences of implementation, openness to change and readiness for continuous improvement are general recommendations for the management of a company. In the view of the team of authors, particular attention should be paid to the ways in which technologies can contribute to the design and production of print products: 3D printing: using 3D printing technologies to create unique objects and parts that would be difficult or impossible to produce in any other way; Augmented Reality (AR): using AR to design printed products allows the creation of interactive elements that can interact with consumers’ smartphones or tablets; interactive QR codes: embedding QR codes in printed products allows consumers to quickly obtain additional information about a product or company by following a link or scanning a code; The article concludes that information and communication technologies open up new opportunities for the development of the printing industry, helping companies to adapt to rapidly changing market conditions and meet the needs of modern consumers.