By Bob Saunders, VP Sales for Wise
One of the big differences between commercial print and less flashy “behind the scenes” jobs like durable labels and business forms is repeatability. While some commercial jobs repeat, the type of recurring revenue provided by durable labels and traditional business forms is different.
In the commercial world, a high percentage of jobs are unique. Some, such as static brochures, are reprinted for a time until they go obsolete. But many, like direct mail pieces, are different each time. Prime labels require maintenance, too. Regulations get updated. Ingredients change. Designs go through refreshes.
In other words, most commercial jobs require a heavy front-end investment. Even on “repeat jobs,” there tend to be regular tweaks and updates that require the same attention to detail every time.
“Set It and Forget It”
But not all jobs require the same heavy lifting. There are jobs on the reseller side that repeat over and over for months, even years. Some repeat for decades. Just take care of the account and the job keeps generating revenue in the background.
Surely we’re exaggerating. Nothing is that easy. True, you still have to sell the account the first time. Then you have to go through the job set-up process, with its proofing and all of that. Once. But once you do these things, the repeat value of these jobs is very high. As a trade-only vendor, some of Wise’s customers have been collecting revenue from the same jobs for more than 10 years or longer. We even have customers with jobs that have been repeating since 2010.
This isn’t just a few of our reseller customers. It’s a lot of them. We recently pulled our sales reports, so here are some real numbers that represent hundreds of resellers selling into hundreds of customer (end user) accounts.
Numbers Don't Lie
Over the past decade at Wise:
- 17,500+ jobs have repeated at least once.
- 500+ jobs have repeated 20+ times.
- Several jobs have repeated over 100 times each.
Here’s another twist: These numbers are all from the business forms side of the business. Yes, the “dying” category that most of the printing industry has written off.
For example:
- Rx script for a drug store chain: 78 repeats since 2020. (Last repeat May 2025.)
- Laser pick tickets: 39 repeats since 2013. (Last repeat May 2025.)
- Accounts payable checks: 42 repeats since 2013. (Last repeat April 2025.)
- Postcard invoices: 92 repeats since 2013. (Last repeat June 3, 2025/)
It’s Labels, Too
While repeat jobs tend to be associated with traditional business forms, durable labels offer recurring revenue, as well. Among the categories with a high percentage of repeat jobs:
Inventory & Warehouse Labels
Examples: Bin labels, shelf labels, racking location IDs.
Asset Tags
Examples: “Property of [Company],” equipment ID numbers, QR code tracking labels.
Warning & Instructional Labels
Examples: “Caution: Hot Surface,” “Keep Away From Children,” “Do Not Block Vent.”
Shipping & Handling Labels
Examples: “Fragile,” “Perishable,” “Do Not Stack,” “This End Up.”
Healthcare & Laboratory Labels
Examples: Biohazard warnings, control sample indicators, “STAT” labels.
Utility & Industrial Labels
Examples: Transformer tags, inspection labels, meter tags.
These types of labels are ideal for repeat orders because they tend to include standard language and layouts and don’t require reproofing, reformatting, or new setup. This makes them easy recurring revenue for print resellers.
The Takeaway?
If you aren’t already a print reseller of forms and labels (or considering becoming one), it’s worth considering. It’s a way to expand your revenue streams without capital investment, and many jobs have a high repeat value.
Can you imagine selling a job tomorrow, then having that job repeat over and over until 2035? The formula is simple: Find the right application once, serve the customer well, and collect revenue for years.
Bob Saunders is VP Sales of Wise, Alpharetta, GA. Wise manufacturers industrial/prime labels and tags, traditional forms, and digitally printed products and services for resale only. For more information, visit www.wbf.com or email Bob at [email protected].
