Meet Zaikio, the interoperability layer for the print industry

Zaikio aims to save print shops time and money through a comprehensive set of easy-to-use process improvements. All those capabilities will be based on a modern and open platform. It integrates printers and their suppliers, buyers, software providers, and equipment manufacturers. And the first platform solution is already here.

The print industry is going through momentous change. But the promise of digital transformation has often yet to be realised in print shops. The reasons are manifold: In production, different machines come with distinct software that mostly fails to work with each other. Non-production activities like quoting and ordering consumables are hardly digitised at all. Many hours go to waste on the phone for negotiating with suppliers, for example. A lot of time is wasted by software that was made for another era. Think about those countless training sessions, integration efforts, and stalled upgrades for fear of lost compatibility!

Zaikio is here to change that. They are building a modern and open cloud-based platform that integrates all industry players. On this platform, they build services to make print shops work better.

They intend to make smooth interoperability the norm in the industry. This way, processes get more efficient. And print shops don't have to spend big bucks on custom integration to make different tools work with each other.

Their first product is already here: Zaikio Procurement. Print shops can now save time and money when ordering consumables. Zaikio Procurement connects directly with the inventories of suppliers.

It allows print shops to check prices and availability in real-time. And they can order with a few clicks, regardless of office hours.

With Premier Paper, the first supplier on Zaikio Procurement is already available in the UK. And they are actively in the process of integrating further suppliers. As soon as a broader selection of suppliers is on board, print shops will be able to get their full range of materials and paper through Zaikio Procurement. If you are already a customer of Premier Paper, or you would like to try out the Premier connection, you can start using Zaikio Procurement right away. Just register here.

*Next up*

Just beyond the horizon, there is Zaikio Mission Control. In development right now, it will be a service that provides printers with an overview of the status of all their jobs, job stages, and machines - regardless of their manufacturers.

The basis is a uniform data standard for print industry jobs. This means that additional machines or software products can be integrated quickly and with just a few clicks. Complex and costly integration projects will be obsolete, just like that.

Now it is your turn: What do you think about Zaikio’s plans? What are interoperability areas that you would like Zaikio to take a look at? Leave us a LinkedIn message or tag us in a post. We are looking forward to your thoughts!