Beyond Paper: Opportunities in Specialty Printing

With advancements in printing technologies and processes comes a continually expanding market of opportunity for print service providers (PSPs). Print today is more than ink on paper: it’s ink on metal, glass, ceramic, and other substrates, creating products people encounter in their daily lives, from the signage they see, to the doormats they walk on, and the backsplashes adorning their kitchens. But like adding any new service, there are different considerations with these applications, including the technologies involved, and what markets and trends are driving these opportunities.

Specialty Printing Trends

Though the range of products with specialty printing is wide, there are “a ton of different applications that are still being discovered,” says Don Copeland, product manager, UV & DTG Products, ColDesi Inc., a supplier headquartered in Tampa, Fla., with different divisions offering equipment and supplies — running the gamut from vinyl cutters to UV printers — blanks, and training.