Because of the electronic print workflow, document files can be sent anywhere in the world to be printed near the location where the application is needed. Transferring files saves time and reduces the cost of shipping printed documents because the application is printed near the point of distribution.

Digital printing allows distributed printing to be an efficient, cost effective process. National publications use digital technology to easily change some of the content of the publication according to the region in which it is distributed. Consider the following two examples:

• A magazine that provides television listings for the entire country may have the same featured articles and network television listings for all of the different versions of the publication. The variable data would include the non-network program listings, which would differ according to the local or regional program offerings. The variable data would also include the television channel numbers, which would change according to the stations located in a particular region.
  
  
• A large, nationwide insurer of automobiles may issue a magazine periodically that contains various articles of interest. Digital technology and distributed printing allows the organization to print regional variations of the periodical with articles pertaining to insurance statistics, key vacation sites, road construction, and so on that are unique for each region.