Smart Technology, Real Growth: How Control Media Transformed Its Web-to-Print Operations

Posted on

Control Media doubled order volumes using Infigo’s web-to-print automation. See how B2B trade printers eliminate manual tasks and grow revenue.

Smart Technology, Real Growth: How Control Media Transformed Its Web-to-Print Operations

A 24/7 Print Operation Faces a Digital Crossroads

It’s 2 AM in Etten-Leur, Netherlands, and the presses at Control Media are still running. For Boris Antonissen, the company’s Head of Prepress, those overnight production runs represent both the company’s strength and its biggest challenge.

Control Media had built its reputation as a leading B2B trade printer serving customers across Belgium, the Netherlands, and Germany on precision, speed, and reliability. Their production floor could handle everything from short-run brochures and customized books to complex packaging. But when customers tried to place orders online, especially for non-standard formats or materials, the digital experience lagged far behind what the production team could deliver.

Navy Graph Icon showing upward trend

2x

Growth in Total Order Volumes

Control Media nearly doubled their order volumes year-over-year (September 2024 vs 2025) after implementing Infigo’s web-to-print platform.

3,000

Order Lines in Peak Month

8x

Increase in Small-Run Digital Orders

The Cost of Platform Dependency

“We were turning away business we could easily fulfil,” Boris recalls. “Customers would call asking if we could print a specific size or substrate, and we’d say yes but they couldn’t order it through our webshop. We knew we were leaving money on the table.”

 

With web-to-print orders accounting for 85% of Control Media’s business, but their own branded webshop representing only a fraction of that, the company needed to evolve. Most orders came through external marketplace platforms, limiting Control Media’s control over customer relationships and margins.

Control Media Employees Reviewing Materials
Control Media Factory Floor

The Challenge: Bridging the Gap Between Production Capability and Digital Experience

The disconnect between what Control Media could produce and what customers could order online wasn’t just frustrating, it was costly. Account managers spent hours manually configuring orders, pricing custom requests, and catching errors that should have been flagged automatically.

 

Boris and his colleagues recognized that success required a next-generation web-to-print platform – one that could match their production sophistication with equal digital sophistication. But the requirements were demanding:

  • Launch a flexible, scalable web shop with end-to-end automation – manual intervention was creating bottlenecks in a 24/7 operation.
  • Enable customers to configure orders with full freedom – custom sizes, materials, and pricing were previously impossible to order online.
  • Reduce errors with smart validation and reporting – mistakes were costly, delayed deliveries, and damaged customer trust.
  • Optimize workflow efficiency and expand the product portfolio – freeing account managers to focus on client relationships rather than administrative tasks.

Implementation: Turning Complexity Into Competitive Advantage

Like many complex digital transformation projects, Control Media’s migration to Infigo’s platform came with its share of challenges. The scale of the integration – from advanced product logic and bespoke pricing to split-shipping and automation through Enfocus Switch, meant the process required careful coordination and iteration.

 

For Boris, managing the programming and integration work alongside his prepress responsibilities, the initial site build and product configuration phase proved particularly time-consuming. The complexity of translating Control Media’s production capabilities into digital product logic required significant hands-on technical work.

 

“The early stages of building out the site and configuring products took more time than expected,” Boris admits. “But once we shifted to using a QA environment for testing updates, especially for complex features like split-shipping, things improved dramatically. We could experiment, find issues early, and build confidence before anything reached customers.”

"Split-shipping was one of the trickiest parts, but we worked through it together. By creating a dedicated test site and releasing updates incrementally, we were able to isolate issues early and ensure a smooth go-live.” - Rob Denton, Customer Success Manager, Infigo

 

That shift in approach transformed the collaboration. Regular review sessions allowed the teams to refine each feature in small, testable steps, while Jessica and Agnieszka handled customer contact and order management, ensuring business continuity throughout the transition.

Control Media Products
Control Media Preflight

Deep Integration with Production Workflows

Control Media’s investment in workflow automation paid off significantly. With Infigo’s open architecture, Boris connected automated file checks, routing, and production triggers directly into the platform through integrations like Enfocus Switch, effectively turning the webshop into an intelligent, end-to-end production system.

 

The integration goes much deeper than simply passing files to the press. Infigo’s platform orchestrates Control Media’s entire production workflow. When an order arrives from the webshop, it automatically performs preflight checks, validates file specifications against production requirements, and flags potential issues before they reach the production floor. The system routes jobs to the appropriate equipment based on substrate, size, and finishing requirements, and even manages colour profiles and imposition layouts specific to each press.

 

“The platform doesn’t just move files – it makes decisions,” Boris explains. “It’s checking bleeds, resolving colour spaces, optimizing imposition, and routing work to the right press at the right time. What used to require multiple touchpoints and manual intervention now happens automatically, even at 2 AM when no one’s in the office.”

 

The connected system also handles split-shipping logic, coordinating when different components of a single order need to be produced on different equipment or at different times, then ensuring everything syncs correctly for delivery. For Control Media’s 24/7 operation, this level of automation transformed what was possible during overnight production runs.

"What impressed me most, was how deeply Boris wanted to understand every element. He didn’t just want functionality. He wanted mastery. That made the final solution more robust and scalable.” - Pablo Cubillas, Delivery & Implementation Manager, Infigo

Results: When Digital Capabilities Match Production Reality

By the time the web shop launched, both teams had built not only a powerful new digital storefront, but a stronger partnership grounded in transparency, technical insight, and trust.

 

In January 2025, Control Media began rolling out its new Infigo-powered webshop, starting with two test customers and gradually expanding access throughout the first quarter. By mid-year, the platform was fully operational and actively promoted. The results were immediate and measurable.

Visit Control Media's Webshop

Transforming the Customer Experience

  • Custom Configuration Now Available Online – Products that previously required phone calls and manual quotes could now be configured, priced, and ordered online.
  • Instant Validation Eliminates Costly Errors – Automated file checking caught issues before orders entered production, reducing reprints and delays.
  • Small-Run Digital Printing Surges – Orders for brochures and books jumped from 1–2 per week to 16 per week, unlocking previously untapped market potential.

 

Rob Denton observes: “Customers adopted the new capabilities quickly, validating what Boris suspected all along: the demand was there, it just needed the right platform to make it accessible.”

Forklift Organising Packaging

Intelligent Pricing Smooths Production Peaks

Dynamic pricing models now incentivize off-peak ordering, offering clients up to 15% savings while helping Control Media optimize their 24/7 production capacity.

White-Label Capabilities Strengthen B2B Relationships

Resellers can now brand shipments, packing slips, and invoices with their own logos – a critical feature for trade printing relationships.

 

Internally, account managers who were previously tied up in administrative tasks are now freed to provide strategic client support.

 

“Orders that used to take hours to configure now happen in minutes,” Boris reflects. “Our account managers are having strategic conversations instead of typing up order forms. And our clients appreciate the flexibility and transparency. They can see exactly what they’re getting and what it costs, without waiting for quotes.”

Control Media Employee with Machinery
Control Media Employee with Phone

Measurable Business Impact Despite Competitive Pressures

By late summer 2025, the results were clear:

  • The Infigo webshop rapidly gained traction after its January 2025 launch with two test customers, growing steadily through a phased rollout before full promotion began mid-year
  • By September 2025, Infigo order lines reached approximately 3,000 – Control Media’s highest single-month performance and a significant increase compared to their previous platform
  • September 2025 versus September 2024 showed dramatic year-over-year growth, with total order volumes nearly doubling despite September historically being a strong month
  • The new platform transformed Control Media’s web-to-print mix: while web-to-print orders still represent 85% of total business, a much larger portion now flows through their own branded webshop rather than external marketplaces
  • This shift improved both margins and customer relationships by reducing reliance on third-party platforms
  • Small-run digital printing orders jumped from 1-2 per week to 16 per week, unlocking previously untapped market potential
  • Dynamic pricing models helped optimize their 24/7 production capacity, offering clients up to 15% savings for off-peak orders

 

Control Media achieved this growth without adding headcount, demonstrating that the platform fundamentally improved business operations.

Looking Forward: Building on a Strong Foundation

Boris and his colleagues are planning the next phase: expanding product offerings, adding advanced personalization options, and deepening integration between online ordering and production automation.

 

“We’re not done,” Boris says with a smile. “This platform gives us room to grow in ways we couldn’t before. Every new feature we add online can immediately reach all our customers, and because the foundation is solid, we can move quickly.”

 

Pablo Cubillas reflects:

 

“Control Media shows what’s possible when you combine ambitious vision with technical capability and a willingness to collaborate through complexity. They transformed their business model.”

Key Takeaways for B2B Print Leaders

  1. Match your digital capabilities to production reality – If your presses can handle it, your website should sell it.
  2. Invest in integration, not just implementation – Connecting your web-to-print platform to workflow automation unlocks full value.
  3. Expect complexity, but plan for iteration – Break challenges into manageable pieces; test early and often.
  4. Focus on freeing your team, not replacing them – The best automation empowers staff to focus on higher-value work.
  5. Customer flexibility drives growth – Removing ordering constraints uncovers hidden demand.

 

In a competitive market, Control Media found a path to growth by making it easier for customers to order what they actually need, not just what the old system allowed while taking greater control of their customer relationships and revenue streams.

About Control Media

Based in Etten-Leur, Netherlands, Control Media is a 24/7 B2B trade printer serving customers across Belgium, the Netherlands, and Germany, specializing in high-quality, short-run print products with advanced customization capabilities.

Book a Discovery Call

Navy Time Calendar Icon

With branded, responsive websites and individual print portals, you can take orders online at any time of day (or night), regardless of whether you are at the workplace or not.

Navy User Access Management Icon

Reduce costly manual touchpoints with smart print automation. Proofing, pre-flighting, printing, archiving and shipping can be configured for minimum, or in some cases, zero human input.

Navy Plugin Icon

We offer fully integrated CMS and 3rd party integrations with leading print software providers, HP, Enfocus Pitstop, printIQ to name but a few.

Navy Packaging Icon

With automation and integration, you can reduce operational costs and add new lines of business without taking on extra staff, or spending additional time on the shop floor.

Navy Webinar Icon

Get development, training and support from our dedicated customer services team.

Latest posts