We usually see changes and challenges to our status quo as threats. In a rapidly changing industry, traditional printers must view the dynamics surrounding the offset-to-digital transition and new media as opportunities for much-needed growth. That’s exactly how Dona Reardon and her brother Dean Snyder approached making the decision to invest in digital color. Reardon is the co-owner of New York-based Walter Snyder Printer, Inc., a fourth-generation family printing company that was established in 1895. According to Reardon, “Our goals haven’t changed. We still are committed to providing excellent print quality, hassle-free customer service, and competitive pricing. We are experts in our field and have a proven track record of helping companies of all sizes produce high-quality collateral pieces that are aesthetically pleasing as well as highly functional and affordable.” Reardon also recognized that her business would need to leverage digital color technology to survive and thrive.

Digital color represents a market growth opportunity for technology vendors as well as users. InfoTrends continually evaluates the growth in pages produced on digital devices to determine the opportunities for commercial printers. InfoTrends’ most recent forecast data indicates that the actual number of pages produced on production color devices will demonstrate a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 14.2% between 2012 and 2017.

Figure 1: Annual Impressions for Production Copying and Digital Printing