Printing technologies continue to advance rapidly, with new capabilities offering greater flexibility, versatility and opportunity. At the same time, the media options for large format printers keep expanding, with hundreds of printable substrates now available. While it can be challenging to keep pace, these developments open the door to a whole new world of possibility for display graphics sign shops, reprographers, and other print-for-pay providers.

Canon Solutions America, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Canon U.S.A, examines smart strategies for using these tools to expand your business and enhance the ROI on your equipment.

Understand the Capabilities of Your Equipment

Advances in printing technology have provided the capability and versatility to produce products ranging from point-of-sale signs, trade show displays and floor graphics, wrapping paper, and custom wallpaper to elaborate, multi-layer, specialty applications on a single device. Wide format print systems with the proper media selection offer an opportunity for you and your customers to get as creative as you can imagine. 

Know the Ins-And-Outs of Your Media and Ink Options

The days when coated bond paper was the only media choice have long passed. With hundreds of media options now available, the challenge becomes finding the ones that best meet your customers’ needs. Factors that influence media selection include the goal and impact your customer aims to achieve, whether the output will be used indoors or outdoors, durability requirements and, of course, budget.

Matched with the right media, multi-color pigment ink systems deliver vibrant, high-performance results. Whether it’s using high-color dye inks or UV resistant inks to withstand fading or having a dedicated channel for white ink applications, having versatility in your printer portfolio can allow you to service your customers based on the right printer and media combination. The final application and image file will help guide you in your ink and media selection.

Partner with an Expert

With technology changing so rapidly, it is critical to build a relationship with a trusted vendor or media specialist who is not merely an order-taker but a true partner that can offer unique application ideas. These experts can work closely with you to knowledgeably evaluate your options, educate you about your print system’s capabilities, and help you leverage your resources to most effectively anticipate and meet your customers’ needs.

Use Your Wide Format Printer to Expand Your Business Boundaries

The more effectively and creatively you can match your wide format color printer’s capabilities with potential applications, the more productively you can leverage your investment. By partnering with customers and prospects to create the products they envision, you will:

• Keep business in-house: The less business you outsource, the more control you can maintain over the quality of your product, the production schedule, the pricing, and the profits.
• Upsell existing customers: You can uncover unmet needs by demonstrating a better understanding of the full range of your customers’ needs, and educating them about your ability to deliver high quality, high-end unique applications.
• Attract new customers: By expanding prospective customers’ understanding of your capabilities, you reinforce your reputation as a “go-to” expert for all their color printing needs.
• Increase revenue and ROI (Return On Investment): Making the most of your media options and color printer capabilities creates the potential for you to capitalize on cost-effective opportunities to grow your business and profits.

Discover a World of Business-Building Possibilities

The better you understand the multitude of possibilities for meeting customer needs in-house, the better equipped you will be to use your color printer to expand your business – and get a valuable edge in today’s highly competitive marketplace.

To learn more, please download Canon Solutions America’s “Getting More Out Of Your Large Format Color Printer” white paper.