The technique known as variable data printing is used to create prints on demand with elements of text, graphics and images varying from one print to the next without stopping the machine. It is a form of digital printing. Boston companies use this technique by accessing information from a database or external file. By using this type of digital printing, Boston companies or individuals can easily create a set of personalized letters, each with the same basic layout, but with a different name and address on each letter. It's great for marketing, customer appreciation and all types of advertising, as well as a variety of creative purposes. The most common usages of variable data printing are for customer relationship management, advertising and invoicing on self mailers, brochures and postcard campaigns that have been made easier thanks to this direct outgrowth of digital printing. Boston companies can harnesses computer databases and digital print devices with highly effective software to create high-quality, full color documents, with a look and feel comparable to conventional offset printing. There are also service providers that can quickly and easily complete this printing process. They often provide service such as CD duplication, as well. Thanks to this new type of digital printing, Boston organizations and individuals are able to customize documents on a massive scale, as opposed to the "mass-production" of a single document using offset lithography. Before digital printing, Boston companies had to produce copies of single documents delivering the same message, and if they wanted to change the message they had to stop the machine and start all over again each time. Now it's possible to get unique documents with varying information on each print from a local service provider in a short period of time. This specialized digital printing Boston technique presents an effective tool for increasing the return on investment for marketing campaigns, as well as a variety of other useful purposes.