How printing industry would be in 2018 and beyond

1. We are about personalization

Until 2018, we recognize no signal of slowing for personalization. It might not a craze at all but it’s increased gradually day by day. The personalization trend will require printing service providers to provide the solutions with namely faster, higher quality, more affordable digital printing technology.

The core thing customers want to gain in customization is fast, flexible, and affordable technology. What I want to mention here is inkjet printing, from the market share of 24% in 2014. Now, it already reached a number of 34% at the beginning of 2018. Digital printing will also continue to grow rapidly in commercial and wide format applications.

2. Printers have to adapt, Now or never

The projection revealed that the printing industry will gain $187.7 billion by 2018. Digital printing, with its improvements in quality and reliability, becomes more cost-effective over higher runs. It stands to gain even more market value while offset processes continue to see a decline in market share.

It’s time to change the traditional sales approach. Right now, what we need are efficiency and automation improvement, more skills are learned and more value added to the new services. Moreover, one study we should never ignore of Smithers Pira showed that offset shares falling while the digital printing market grows from $131.5 billion in 2013 to $187.7 billion in 2018.

3. The success will depend on speed, quality, and vibrancy.

When the market for variable printed products grows, the speed also needs to be improved respectively, your customers have no time or are not patient enough to wait. If you are in some fields like food and beverage and corrugated boxes, as well as labeling and specialty products like ceramics and tiles, the turnaround time is really fast, you cannot still keep your current speed, be fast, always be fast. You can defeat competitors only if you could combine 3 factors: speed, quality, and vibrancy.

4. Printers have more option so research is important

Some suggestions:

Seeking rapid presses that offer quick turns, the print quality of 1,200 dpi or higher, and excellent ink formulas that meet the needs of your specific market.

Considering retrofitting existing flexo presses with digital capabilities. These hybrid presses bring a new breath of fresh air to existing equipment and enable the printer to more easily make the transition to digital printing.

Seeking digital press solutions that offer the best output at a low total cost of ownership so the speed is optimized and you also rapidly gain the return on investment.

In conclusion,

Do you want to stay high? Embrace the change! Regardless of the market you are taking part in or the field you are serving, to be successful, the only way for you is adapting the changes and requirements of the market. So now, it’s time to make a plan and do it!