Web to print

Article By:

Shaffer, Julie Center for Imaging Excellence, Graphic Arts Technical Foundation, Sewickley, Pennsylvania.

Last reviewed:2012

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1036/1097-8542.YB120367

Web to print (also referred to as web2print or W2P) is a ubiquitous term most broadly defined as a class of software tools that are customized for print-centric e-commerce or e-procurement. Web to print facilitates the interaction between those who buy print and related products with those who sell such products, using the Internet as a medium for the exchange. Although the term Web to print is used generically, the hyphenated phrase (Web-to-print^®) is a trademark of Belmark, Inc., a label printing company in De Pere, Wisconsin. Belmark was initially granted this trademark in 1999 and renewed it in January 2011. Despite this fact, Web to print has become the de facto term used to describe print-centric e-commerce, as evidenced by the millions of citations returned in the Web search results for the phrase “Web to print.” Nearly all of the vendors in the space refer to their software solutions as Web to print.

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