Preparing for a Wide-format Future

Diversify your offerings.

In today’s market, there is no such thing as a specialist. The days when print buyers were willing to go to several different vendors for different types of printed products is over. Now, they are increasingly searching for a “one-stop shop” that can handle all of their needs, from signage, to promo products, to direct mail — and everything in between. As you plan your next equipment purchase walking around the show floor, think about the gaps in your current lineup. What types of presses do you already own, and what can you add to diversify your offerings? And it’s not just adding a range of equipment from offset to digital; even in the wide-format space, different ink sets, roll-fed versus flatbed, and the ability to print on different types of substrates can all help diversify the application mix. Think about how to make your operation more flexible and nimble, able to say yes to anything your customers might request. Because if you don’t, the shop down the street will, and your customer will walk out the door.