Modern Printers Must Do More Than Print
We’re on the far side of the second decade of the 21st century and the consensus is clear; print is far from dead. Thanks to both new technology and a steadily increasing culture-wide appreciation of tactical, non-digital media, there is plenty of room for printers to thrive in this no-longer-so-new century. But, and I’m sure you were expecting a “but,” that doesn’t mean that the role of the printer has remained exactly the same. Print is in high demand, but the role of the printer as a mere print provider is losing steam in comparison to a new style of commercial print business. What does this new printer archetype look like? And why is it no longer enough to just produce print in the print industry today? Let’s take a crack at these essential questions.
The Print Shop of 2019 and Beyond
The new print shop is no longer just a print shop. The new print shop is a plugged-in, holistic marketing partner that enables their clients to reach new customers via both analog and digital mediums. Print is a part of the solutions they offer, of course, but there’s also the digital aspect and all the other analog marketing tools beyond just ink on paper. These printers can seamlessly provide their clients with everything from promotional items, personalized direct mail campaigns, an easy web to print experience, multi-channel marketing, and more. The list of what services and products potentially fall under the purview of the modern print service provider goes on and on.
Competition and the New Standard
The fact of the matter is, every industry has had to adapt to the advent of the digital age. Ask anyone who’s been deep in the thicket of their chosen industry for over twenty years if there have been any seismic shifts in the way they do business and you’re just about guaranteed to get a resounding “yes, of course!” And there’s no turning back the dial. Competition in the print service space has reached new heights industry-wide, thanks in part to the new tools that have enabled print service providers to do more for their clients and partners.
What that means is that the standards have gotten higher and printers will need to rise to and beyond those standards or risk falling behind. It’s not enough to have quick turnarounds and high-quality, accurate print jobs. Even competing on price alone will only get a printer so far. The modern printer must stand out from the crowd by doing more and anticipating the future.
Ancillary Services
So, it’s becoming increasingly obvious to those in the print industry that a narrow focus on the technical side of the printer’s job won’t cut it anymore. Let’s look at a recent report that backs up this point of view.
According to a report by Printing Industries of America, non-print “ancillary” services are one of the fastest growing revenue sources of print businesses. This report on the growth of the print industry and its outlook, published in 2018, investigates at how non-print services fit into the overall business model of modern printers. The report breaks down which specific services commonly fall under the umbrella of ancillary services that printers offer with the most common being:
- Kit Fulfillment
- Mailing Management
- Professional Creative Demand
- Web to Print (storefronts for print procurement and brand management)
- Database Management
This list coincides closely with the next list in the report which breaks down which ancillary services are in most demand with just minor differences in rank between them. Web to print, kit fulfillment, and logistics management come out on top of the list of non-print related services print buyers are asking for.
Printers are starting to catch on to the fact that print buyers aren’t just looking for a print producer; they’re looking for partnerships that cover the whole spectrum of modern marketing. From streamlining procurement, to expanding the kind of products being offered, to utilizing data more effectively, there’s more that is being asked of printers today. The businesses that rise to the occasion will be able to reap significant rewards.
What we can take from all of this is summed up succinctly by one of the main takeaway statements in Printing Industries of America’s report: “Printers themselves have adjusted their business models to take account of new industry trends and realities.” In other words, the world is changing, and successful businesses will change accordingly.
The Web to Print Factor
It’s worth taking a closer look at the item that topped the list of ancillary services that are in high demand from printers right now: web to print. Web to print is a somewhat loosely defined term today but in the context of ancillary services provided by printers, web to print encompasses both the online portals that allow print buyers to easily buy print and the operation platforms that allow print sellers to easily manage warehousing, production, and fulfillment.
Because web to print can address so much of the print buyer/seller relationship, it’s unmistakably in the best interest of the modern printer to put sufficient focus in this factor. More and more, printers are finding that a solid web to print solution can put them several steps ahead of their competition, and lacking web to print can be a serious detriment to growth. We talk more about the importance of the web to print factor here.
- https://www.printing.org/sites/default/files/attachments/flash_october_2018-planning_for_2019.pdf
