From The Editor: Standing Out in a Crowd

As the wide-format segment has grown, the quest for companies to differentiate, and to define themselves among the crowd, has become increasingly difficult. And while the segment is highly competitive, it remains strong.

To illustrate the strength of the segment, this issue features the annual Wide-format Impressions 150 list, highlighting the largest producers in the U.S. and Canada, based on sales volume. It serves as an excellent reference guide and barometer for opportunities and trends. In this special issue, we give you data from the list four different ways.

• The annual WFI 150 list is sorted by company size, but includes numerous data points to provide detail about the “who” and “what” of the companies featured.
• This issue provides brief profiles of five of the largest companies whose majority revenue source is wide-format. These profiles answer the question: What drives these companies’ continued success?
• Also featured are five of the companies that have experienced a significant growth rate during the period measured and the factors that brought them such profound growth.
• Finally, in our Back Page section, we provide additional context via a year-to-year comparison, based on the past seven years.

If your company is not featured in the list, and you believe it should be, let us know. We would be delighted to include in next year’s survey – you must participate to be featured.

If you were one of the thousands of industry professionals who journeyed to Las Vegas for this year’s PRINTING United Expo, you know what an astounding event it was – not only for wide-format producers, but also for printers, imagers, and decorators of all stripes – and you’ve seen the multitude of new production systems introduced. There was much to take in and much to do. In this issue, we provide team coverage of the event. Check out the Wide-format Impressions team’s key takeaways.

Finally, I would be profoundly remiss if I did not take the opportunity to salute my NAPCO Media colleague Mark Michelson, who is retiring after 43 years as the editor-in-chief of Printing Impressions, our flagship publication. Ashley Roberts, who is assuming the role of content director at Printing Impressions, brings the knowledge and drive to continue the publication’s legacy. They both stand out from the crowd.

DAN MARX Content Director - Wide-format Impressions
Dan Marx holds extensive knowledge of the graphic communications industry, resulting from more than three decades working across segments with business owners, equipment and materials developers, and thought leaders. Reader feedback is always encouraged.
dmarx@napco.com