Last month, I had the pleasure of participating in SGIA’s annual Congress of Committees, a two-day event that brings graphics producers and industry manufacturers together to discuss current industry trends, directions for growth, and solutions to common problems. In one of our meetings, I moderated a discussion on “pain points” for today’s graphics producers. The discussion was open, honest, and highly-illuminating to those in the room. Through this article, I want to share some of the most pertinent pain points discussed, as they provide a unique view into today’s wide-format industry.

One growing trend in wide-format production is “burst capacity.” While the traditional rule of thumb is to regularly operate at the high-end of available print capacity, a number of larger graphics producers are instead operating at a much lower percentage (on average), thus allowing space for large, short-turn jobs. By having the capacity to scale up in bursts, these companies are less likely to turn away business. Surely, managing the split between equipment costs and business coming in the door can be an ongoing challenge, but this approach is gaining in popularity.

Customer communication, and developing a fruitful partnership with the customer, can always be a challenge. While many producers strive to provide their customers with transparency about the jobs being done for them, this partnership-building can have a down side. “There comes a point,” one person said, “where our customer knows enough to think he can begin to micro-manage us.” How companies manage transparency, while at the same time protecting the “magic” of their business can require some careful thought.