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Top 5 printing trends

From our extensive experience in the field of printing, we signal various trends in the market. Based on this we can make a number of predictions about how the printing market will develop in the future.

This article is intended as a start, we invite other professionals to share their insights about this themselves!

We can probably quickly agree on one thing: despite the digitization of our society, there is still a great need for printed materials. Due to new techniques, the number of applications is only increasing.

1. Innovation > disappearance of traditional printing
The needs of customers are changing due to the ever-increasing digitization of society. This brings a lot of opportunities with new applications, more about this in point 2.

On the other hand, this development also ensures that certain traditional printing products will gradually disappear. Consider, for example, a printed newspaper, or forms and stationery. These will increasingly be replaced by digital applications. Printing professionals will have to respond to this development.

2. Technical > transition to digital printing
The digital printers and configurations are getting better: faster, larger formats, more colors, more different substrates and more digital (in terms of finishing and control.) Ultimately, production will increasingly shift to digital.

A few advantages:

  • On demand, so short delivery times.
  • End to end digital production: digital ordering via a portal (see point 3), digital printing, cutting and finishing, and logistics can also be followed up digitally and including the delivery address.
  • Affordable for small quantities.
  • More variable productions possible, allowing full personalization and diversification.
  • Tests and samples can be made easily and at low cost.
  • Trial and product are identical.
  • Digital systems can sometimes make productions stand-alone, without an operator. A very interesting development.

We signal a number of developments in the market that are a direct consequence of the extensive possibilities of digital printing:

  • Increase in the number of personalized print products in small quantities, for example in the field of signing (flags, banners, big prints, give aways, etc.).
  • Increasingly further segmentation of package printing. The trend in the product range (especially with products such as food, cosmetics and household products) is more choice. The result for the printed matter is that the runs are becoming smaller and the total volume larger.
  • Another trend in the field of package printing is the movement towards environmentally friendly packaging. Digital printing also offers many more options in this area. Furthermore, you see completely new markets emerging in digital printing technologies, such as 3D printing.

3. Automation > development of order portals
Automation of the ordering process means that printing is nowadays often offered via order portals. This offers great benefits for both customer and producer.

This development was once used for ordering flyers online and now more and more printed matter can be ordered in this way. Well-known web portals include Probo, Simian, Vistaprint, Drukzo and Drukwerkmax. These providers are growing phenomenally because they make smart use of available digital opportunities in the areas of marketing, production, payment traffic and logistics.

As a print professional you can serve other web portals with your printing capacity. Of course you can also choose to set up a web portal yourself.

In addition to the large providers of many types of printed matter, there are also customized portals for specific products. Think of photo albums, dissertations, flags and banners. These online applications create PDF files that end up in the printing process through direct links. The efficiency of this system has made on-demand print work also feasible for small entrepreneurs and retailers.

4. Equipment > emergence of inkjet
Printing technology is increasingly shifting towards inkjet printing. Inkjet is fast, contactless printing is possible and multiple substrates and formats are possible, both on roll and flat. Inkjet can be executed as a multipass and single pass. With multipass, the print head moves from left to right. With single pass, the print head stands still and the substrate moves at high speed. This allows you to print super fast.

The quality of inkjet printing is still increasing. For example, you can print with white on certain substrates with great results. Printing with multiple colors than the standard CMYK gives more color range. An extra paint with a special print head makes printing distinctive.

There are roughly 2 inkjet techniques. UV inkjet for all substrates and outdoor applications, and water-based inkjet, which you will find in more traditional paper applications. Certain parts of the printing market are shifting to this production method because the quality is good and the production method is efficient by bundling orders. It is especially interesting for a printing professional to invest in such a printer if you have many small print jobs. And as we mentioned in point 2: the market is moving more and more towards small runs.

5. Organization > increase in number of intermediaries, scaling up and collaborations
Due to all technical developments, the way in which printing is organized is also changing. We see three shifts in this: the increase in the number of intermediaries, the increase in scale and the expansion of collaborations.

  • Increase in the number of intermediaries
    The printing market is characterized by the relatively high number of intermediaries. There are at least 100 major players, such as Arvato, Summits and Charterhouse, and at least 2,000 smaller entrepreneurs. Advertising agencies, designers, graphic specialists and buyers are represented here. An interesting development is the increase in the number of intermediaries who are themselves printing companies.

    More and more, customers want a single point of contact to do business with. As a total supplier, you can respond to this by making use of fellow producers.

    Another special group of intermediaries are suppliers of printers, such as Xerox, Canon and Minolta.

  • Scale increase
    Scale advantages in the printing process can be achieved, for example, if one production means (printing press), operated by one operator, generates more output. This means investing in machines that can print larger, wider or faster, and which can still be operated by one person.
  • Expansion of collaborations
    The current printing companies are of course all cooperating companies. Certain parts of printing or finishing are placed with suppliers. For smaller printers and print companies in particular, it is important to gather good cooperation partners around them.

    The large investments in, for example, an 8-color printing press or a very high-quality digital printing press are still feasible for medium-sized companies. Investing in both is only an option for a few companies. If you want to make use of the quality and the possibilities that such machines offer, then collaboration is the best choice, so that you can always help your customer with the best printing and printing productions. The more you work together, the more knowledge you share, creating new opportunities. Everything is possible in printing and printing.

This document is intended as a first step. Do you want to add something about developments in the printing and printing world yourself? We look forward to your response on: info@businesscardprinting.nl