Printing Industry Commentary & Analysis

FESPA 2019: Beer, Brats, and Dots

Published May 16, 2019

FESPA 2019 attracted attendees on a global scale under the theme of an “Explosion of Possibilities.” In partnership with Keypoint Intelligence – InfoTrends, the event’s organizers collected feedback from the 2018 Print Census research to determine key areas of focus for the 2019 event.

Direct-to-Garment Printing Landscape Grows Across Commercial and Industrial Sectors

Published May 9, 2019

Digital has become a viable method for printing a variety of fabric applications, and the technology is now extending its reach into the direct-to-garment (DTG) market. This article offers a brief discussion about the growth in DTG printing and discusses some key trends for the commercial and industrial printing sectors.

Print China Gains Ground as Asia’s Largest Printing Exhibition

Published May 2, 2019

Held every four years since 2007, Print China alternates with China Print and offers a unique focus on Southern China’s printing industry for local and international visitors. This article provides a brief overview of the most recent iteration of the event, which was held in April at the Guangdong Modern International Exhibition Center.

High-Value Digital Applications: New Opportunities on the Horizon

Published April 25, 2019

High-value applications and the digital devices that are required to produce them are becoming increasingly prevalent. These solutions are now moving downstream and have become accessible to medium-sized and even small print service providers. This article explores how high-value applications are coming to represent the fast track to the digital transformation.

Control Waste to Improve Your Bottom Line

Published April 18, 2019

Although today’s printers understand that they must automate their print operations, a bias seems to exist between the potential benefits of investing in equipment vs. software. This article cites recent research from Keypoint Intelligence – InfoTrends to highlight the importance of controlling waste. By implementing processes, procedures, and software, printers can accurately measure waste and improve their quality control.

Xeikon in Packaging: Ramping Up, Branching Out

Published April 11, 2019

The 2019 Xeikon Café event, which took place in late March, attracted 1,000+ visitors from about 250 companies. This article provides a brief overview of Xeikon’s recent progress while also discussing the effects of its annual event.

On the Edge: DSCOOP Moves

Published April 4, 2019

DSCOOP is a mature show, so its organizers are continually seeking ways to innovate, educate, and inspire. This article provides some key highlights from this year’s event and the DSCOOP Edge agenda.

Is Your Print Production Lifted by a Platform?

Published March 28, 2019

The first platforms appeared over four years ago and have steadily increased their performance, functionality, and partnerships over time. This article explores the characteristics of true print workflow platforms and discusses how platforms can benefit print production.

The Print Management Market: Where Is it Growing and How Big Can it Get?

Published March 21, 2019

Through consolidated purchasing, print management providers offer cost savings and upgraded efficiencies that in-plants struggle to match, as well as a wider array of products, applications, and expertise than a single print manufacturer can manage. This article provides an overview of the print management market and discusses key opportunities for growth.

What Hololens 2 Means for PSPs

Published March 14, 2019

Last month, Microsoft announced the introduction of its Hololens 2 mixed reality headset. This article explores what the upcoming product could mean to the print market, while grounding print service providers’ expectations.

Automation on Display at Hunkeler Innovationdays: Watch Out for the Robot!

Published March 7, 2019

During odd-numbered years, the Hunkeler-sponsored Innovationdays event in Luzern, Switzerland, features finishing solutions for the transactional, commercial graphic arts, and book industries. This article provides a brief overview of the announcements that brought the theme of automation to the forefront at this year’s event.

HP Highlights New Business Opportunities at the 2019 Indigo VIP Event

Published February 28, 2019

HP Indigo hosted its annual Global VIP event in Tel Aviv, Israel, from February 11–14, 2019. This year’s event drew over 650 visitors to HP Indigo’s headquarters, production, and Research & Development sites to learn about the company’s latest offerings. The event highlighted the latest devices in HP’s digital press lineup and also discussed business opportunities for growing applications.

Saving $1 Million with Workflow

Published February 21, 2019

Although printers acknowledge that dealing with a high number of small jobs is a major workflow bottleneck, many have not automated their processes. This article offers some quick tips for getting started with automating processes to aid employees and benefit customers.

Save Postage and Add Print Volume with 2019 USPS Promotions

Published February 7, 2019

In early February, the USPS opened the first of its six 2019 promotions. These new promotions encourage mailers, marketers, and printers to work together to create unique and engaging mail pieces. This article provides a brief overview of this year’s promotions.

EFI Connect 2019: A New CEO, Networking, and a Fashion Show!

Published January 31, 2019

Even though EFI Connect has been around for two decades now, the 2019 event included many firsts! Customers, partners, analysts, and journalists in attendance enjoyed a lively event emceed by Frank Tueckmantel and hosted by Bill Muir, EFI’s new CEO. This article provides a brief overview of EFI’s strategy as it moves into the future with a new focus and new leadership.

Leveraging the Power of Personalization

Published January 24, 2019

Thanks to ongoing innovations in customer segmentation and data mining, today’s enterprises now have access to more information about their customers than ever before. In parallel, consumers’ expectations are also shifting—people understand that their providers have access to a great deal of their personal information, and they now expect any communications to reflect this level of knowledge. This article explores the impact that personalization has on the effectiveness of customer communications.

Mass-Optimize Your Workflow in 2019

Published January 17, 2019

Although many personal resolutions fizzle out by February, your workflow resolutions should be targeted and easy to follow. Keep things simple by committing to three resolutions and automating three tasks. This article explores why building mass optimization into your print production workflow should be a key initiative in 2019.

The Importance of Awareness for Print-Based Augmented Reality

Published January 10, 2019

As businesses seek to remain competitive in today’s increasingly digital landscape, many are turning toward content that is enhanced with augmented reality (AR). This article discusses how print providers can inform their clients about AR content in printed products. It also explores some barriers to market entry, including app surplus and the limited use of AR headsets.

An Augmented Future: How AR is Helping Production Printing

Published December 13, 2018

Augmented reality (AR) is a technology that superimposes a digital or computer-generated display (image, video, or words) onto the real world. Although AR is still young, it has advanced enough to impact multiple industries. AR enables a variety of improvements in the print space, and this article explores how AR is affecting the production print market.

Digital Textiles: The Next Frontier for Commercial Printers

Published December 6, 2018

For the most part, commercial printers are locked out of the existing supply chain for digital textiles. This article explores the more accessible textile segments that commercial printers can participate in, including textile-based sign and display graphics and direct-to-garment.

Achieving Successful Sales in 2019

Published November 29, 2018

As 2018 draws to a close, you’re likely doing one of two things: focusing on meeting/exceeding your sales goals for the year or reflecting on why your goal has proven to be unreachable. In many cases, the process used to achieve the goal fails to deliver the desired results. This article explores methods for exceeding your business goals in 2019.

Taylor Communications SCS: Transforming to Meet Changing Market Demands

Published November 15, 2018

Recognizing the challenges associated with making the digital transformation in customer communications, Taylor Corporation created a new organization called Taylor Communications, Secure & Customer Solutions, Inc. (Taylor Communications SCS). This article explores how Taylor has taken its printing and mailing capabilities to a new level by integrating its communications with advanced digital platforms to enhance the customer experience.

InfoTrends’ Global Forecast Data Suggests Growth in Emerging Countries

Published November 8, 2018

United States, Western Europe, and Japan accounted for nearly two-thirds of total production printing placements in 2017. This article provides a brief overview of how global placements and print volumes are expected to shift over time.

Where’s the Flash Point for Cloud Software?

Published November 1, 2018

Although the industry has not yet hit a “flash point” that would result in the significant growth of cloud-based software solutions, there are indications that this spark may not be far away. This article explores the growth potential and lingering challenges associated with cloud software.

Personalized Video Part 2: How to Maximize Effectiveness

Published October 25, 2018

Personalized video advertising is a relatively new marketing method empowered by the digital revolution. This article is the second in a two-part series. It explores how companies can most effectively use personalized video advertising to reach the widest share of audience.

Personalized Video Part I: Marketing for Future Generations

Published October 18, 2018

Personalized video advertising is a relatively new marketing method empowered by the digital revolution. This article, the first in a two-part series, provides an overview of personalized video advertising and explores the role that age plays in a consumer’s acceptance of the technology.

Developing the Right Mix of Client Care

Published October 11, 2018

Shifting consumer expectations are increasing the demand for relevant and personalized communications, so it is becoming ever more vital for print service providers to offer their clients the tools and expertise they need to compete via all channels. This article cites recent research from Keypoint Intelligence – InfoTrends to explore how communication practices are changing.

Production Dashboards Can Help Keep You “Out of the Mess”

Published October 4, 2018

In the printing industry, production dashboards provide critical and timely information for owners, managers, and operators so they can control the production chaos. This article provides a brief overview of available production dashboards and explores how they can simplify the production process.

Digital Textile Printing: Recent Innovations and Environmental Impact

Published September 27, 2018

Ongoing research and forecast data from Keypoint Intelligence – InfoTrends shows that the digital textile printing market continues to grow. As the industry develops new manufacturing methods to meet this continued growth in demand, it is important to consider the environmental impact of these developments. This analysis explores some recent innovations in digital textile printing and considers the effect that these innovations may have on the environment.

Key Components of the Digital Textile Printing Industry

Published September 20, 2018

Consumer demand and technological innovations continue to drive growth within the apparel and home décor industries. This article outlines the key components of the digital textile printing industry and highlights how mass customization is fueling the adoption of various technologies.

Continued Innovations Drive Growth in Digital Textile Printing

Published September 13, 2018

Consumer demand and technological innovations are driving growth in the apparel and home décor industries. This article explores some of the ongoing shifts that are occurring in the industry and considers how these shifts are affecting the digital textile market on a global basis.

IGAS 2018: The Latest Product News

Published September 6, 2018

IGAS 2018 may not get as much attention as some of the other international trade shows, but InfoTrends analysts still found several products that we believe will make an impact on the global print market.

Memjet’s DuraLink, One Year Later

Published August 30, 2018

Unveiled in 2017, Memjet’s DuraLink technology appears to be catching on with OEMs. Keypoint Intelligence – InfoTrends believes this is due to its improvements in head life and other features, which will enable Memjet products to address high-volume applications. As DuraLink evolves, it looks poised to succeed in industrial print applications such as high-speed label and packaging printing.

Who Buys Continuous Feed Inkjet?

Published August 23, 2018

Keypoint Intelligence – InfoTrends records publicly announced placements of continuous-feed inkjet printers, along with the types of PSPs that acquire these devices and the major applications they print. This article provides an overview of these placements in the past nine years by major application and vendor.

B2 Digital Saves the Day for Cut-Sheet Color

Published August 16, 2018

Every year, Keypoint Intelligence – InfoTrends publishes its digital printing forecast to identify placements of digital devices, installed base, print volumes, and revenues achieved. This article provides an overview of some recent top-level forecast data and also explores how new developments in a long-established market can create new opportunities while also driving print volumes.

OpenText Enterprise World 2018: Defined by Real-Time Communications

Published August 9, 2018

The OpenText team held the 2018 Enterprise World meeting in Toronto, Canada, from July 10 to 12. During the opening keynote address, Mark Barrenechea explained to more than 4,000 delegates that competing and conflicting macro-trends are converging to pose unprecedented challenges for today’s businesses. Today’s enterprises must navigate a range of priorities to succeed, and OpenText has released several offerings that can assist in their journey.

Print E-Commerce Marches On, Consumes More of Total Shipments

Published August 2, 2018

E-commerce activities continue to ramp up in the printing industry. Thanks to the proliferation of digital printing technologies, the number of products within consumers’ reach is simply remarkable. This article explores how print service providers can take advantage of online print growth.

Identifying Successful Sales Practices for Print Providers

Published July 26, 2018

Every company has a sales process. Although these processes are sometimes well-established and well-documented, this is not always the case. If you’re struggling with your sales process, this article provides a quick-start guide on performing a sales audit.

Get Ready for Change…Make Digitally Printed Packaging a Part of Your Future

Published July 19, 2018

Although digitally printed corrugated packages serve to enclose products, develop displays, and create shipping containers, they can also be used as billboards for savvy brands to advertise and increase consumer engagement. This article explores how brands can take advantage of printed packaging to differentiate their marketing messages.

Smart Print Manufacturing Makes You Money

Published June 28, 2018

Smart Print Manufacturing (SPM) can help companies achieve operational excellence. This article explores how SPM enables workflow automation so businesses can create quality products and services by adding value throughout the supply chain.

Pricing for Digital Part 3: Challenges in Developing Comprehensive Pricing Plans

Published June 21, 2018

As digital delivery proliferates within the customer communications market, service providers with a legacy in print have been challenged to devise pricing models that position their operations for long-term sustainability. As part of its recently published research study entitled Pricing for Digital: Exploring New Models for Transactional Communications Delivery, Keypoint Intelligence – InfoTrends conducted more than a dozen in-depth interviews with print service providers in North America to gain a deeper understanding of the primary pricing obstacles that stakeholders face in today’s changing market. The final in a three-part series, this article explores the challenges that providers must overcome when developing comprehensive customer communications pricing plans.

Highlights from DSF 18: The DOCUMENT Strategy Forum

Published June 14, 2018

Celebrating its 10th year, the 2018 DOCUMENT Strategy Forum (DSF 18) was held last month in Boston, Mass. This peer-driven, peer-reviewed, and peer-produced conference is designed to educate professionals on how to deliver and manage customer communications, customer engagement, and information management. As was the case in previous years, the 2018 event offered a wide array of educational sessions, executive round tables, panels, and inspiring keynotes. Visitors had plenty of opportunities to network with industry peers or any of the 44 exhibitors in attendance. This article reviews some highlights from DSF 18 through the lens of customer communications.

Pricing for Digital Part 2: Hurdles in Demonstrating Value through Services

Published June 7, 2018

As digital delivery proliferates within the customer communications market, service providers with a legacy in print have been challenged to devise pricing models that position their operations for long-term sustainability. As part of its recently published research study entitled Pricing for Digital: Exploring New Models for Transactional Communications Delivery, Keypoint Intelligence – InfoTrends conducted more than a dozen in-depth interviews with print service providers in North America to gain a deeper understanding of the primary pricing obstacles that stakeholders face in today’s changing market. The second in a three-part series, this article examines the hurdles that providers encounter in the market as they attempt to demonstrate value through their services.

Pricing for Digital Part 1: Overcoming Obstacles on the Path to Profitable Pricing

Published May 31, 2018

As digital delivery proliferates within the customer communications market, service providers with a legacy in print have been challenged to devise pricing models that position their operations for long-term sustainability. As part of its recently published research study entitled Pricing for Digital: Exploring New Models for Transactional Communications Delivery, Keypoint Intelligence – InfoTrends conducted more than a dozen in-depth interviews with print service providers in North America to gain a deeper understanding of the primary pricing obstacles that stakeholders face in today’s changing market. The first in a three-part series, this article explores the hurdles that providers encounter in the market and considers the approaches they have developed as they attempt to establish profitable pricing models.

Highlights from the 2018 National Postal Forum

Published May 24, 2018

Earlier this month, the National Postal Forum (NPF) celebrated its 50th anniversary in San Antonio, Tex., with more than 4,000 professionals from the mailing and shipping industry. In addition to the five primary educational tracks over the four-day event, NPF had nearly 130 exhibitors in the exhibitor hall. This analysis provides highlights from the NPF’s Opening General Session, as well as an overview of the USPS’s latest innovations.

Quad/Graphics Accelerated Insights: A Digital Revolution in Direct Mail Testing

Published May 17, 2018

Quad/Graphics has launched Accelerated Insights, a cloud-based software tool to enhance—and some might even say revolutionize—direct mail testing. This article explores the features of Accelerated Insights and describes its effects on direct mailing.

New Trends in Color Management

Published May 10, 2018

Managing color in today’s ever-changing environment has long been a challenge for printers. No two scanners, monitors, or printers will reproduce colors identically, making it necessary to implement specialized color management systems to achieve an exact match across devices. This article explores some of the options that are available for printers.

A Big Focus on Small Print Shops

Published May 3, 2018

Smaller print shops face many of the same challenges as larger shops, so the need for a single system of record to manage the business is just as critical. Until recently, the only solution was purchasing an expensive print MIS with integration capabilities and pay for professional services to set up the connectivity to the other software solutions. This article explores how things are beginning to change for the better for small print shops.

Direct-to-Shape: An Intriguing Corner of Digital Print for Packaging

Published April 26, 2018

Within the direct-to-shape printing for packaging market, digital printing is generally growing as a complement to offset, flexo, and other analog presses that print labels, folding cartons, flexible packaging, and corrugated. This article explores the direct-to-shape market by answering some basic questions about it.

The Migration to Digital Continues... But Printed Customer Communications Remain Popular

Published April 19, 2018

The results from InfoTrends’ annual transactional communications survey uncovered some surprising shifts in opinions about paper-based and electronic communications. This article cites recent survey data to explore how printed and electronic bills and statements continue to coexist in the customer communications market.

Print, Personalization, and Media Integration: Delivering Results to SMBs

Published April 12, 2018

Small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) offer a great deal of opportunity for print service providers. This article highlights key communication trends and opportunities in the SMB market, as identified in Keypoint Intelligence – InfoTrends’ recent research study In Search of Business Opportunities: Finding the Right Prospects.

The Value of Platforms: A Revolution is Coming!

Published April 5, 2018

All printers are seeking ways to embrace a business and production infrastructure that enables them to add new tools as needed and depreciate tools that no longer serve a need. This article provides a brief overview of the platforms that facilitate these skills as well as a specific example of the Chili Publisher platform.

The Customer Experience Potential of Critical Communications

Published March 29, 2018

Today’s empowered consumers are conditioned to expect instant access to information, goods, and services. These expectations are forcing businesses to reconsider their marketing strategies. This article cites recent research from Keypoint Intelligence – InfoTrends highlighting the importance of a positive customer experience in driving revenue growth and improving customer satisfaction.

Developing Sales Talent Requires Coaching!

Published March 22, 2018

When it comes to managing—and more importantly coaching and developing sales talent—the skills that are required are different than the ones that make a good salesperson. This article highlights research from Keypoint Intelligence – InfoTrends to explore how high-growth sales organizations develop the best talent.

Emerging Technology Assessment: Personalized Video Outlook

Published March 8, 2018

Personalized video is a popularizing tool with potential for modern customer communications strategies. The technology provides inherently engaging one-to-one audio-visual experiences, but that doesn’t mean that it’s effective independently and by default.

What is Smart Print Manufacturing?

Published March 1, 2018

The industry remains focused on reducing costs through automation. The next decade will be about making print manufacturing smarter as we transition to the next industrial revolution. This article discusses why it is important for all print service providers to prepare, plan, and take steps to implement their own version of Smart Print Manufacturing.

Color Inkjet Improves Business Communications

Published February 22, 2018

The combination of more and better consumer data, the drive for personalization, and the affordability of inkjet have finally made creating higher-value communications a market reality. This article explores how IDS.com (a Doxim company) has implemented inkjet production printing technology to make messaging and color more flexible and efficient.

Graphic Communications and Specialty Printing Mean BIG Opportunities!

Published February 15, 2018

When print service providers seek to expand their offerings, wide-format printing applications like sign, display, and specialty graphics are often considered an attractive opportunity. This article cites recent research from Keypoint Intelligence–InfoTrends to explore the benefits that wide format can deliver to print service providers that are hoping to enter new markets and achieve higher margins.

UV and Aqueous Inkjet: Notes from a Label Converter Who Uses Both!

Published February 8, 2018

Both UV and aqueous inkjet are growing as alternates to electrophotography (EP) in label converting, and like EP they complement flexography as production-level print technology there. Where do UV inkjet and aqueous inkjet fit? Keypoint Intelligence recently interviewed DLS President Bob Hakman to help answer this question.

2018: Execution and Implementation Are Essential for Business Growth!

Published February 1, 2018

In the year ahead, changing customer demands, ongoing technological shifts, more intense market competition, and ever-changing communication trends will require print providers to make innovation a top priority. This article, the third in a three-part series, highlights the biggest challenge print service providers face—transforming their creative ideas into business realities!

2018: A Focus on Customer Needs

Published January 25, 2018

In the year ahead, changing customer demands, ongoing technological shifts, more intense market competition, and ever-changing communication trends will require print providers to make innovation a top priority. This article (the second in a three-part series) highlights key application trends that are expected to have a significant impact on print providers' prospects for growth in 2018.

2018: A Focus on Technology

Published January 18, 2018

In the year ahead, changing customer demands, ongoing technological shifts, more intense market competition, and ever-changing communication trends will require print providers to make innovation a top priority. This article (the first in a three-part series) highlights key technology trends expected to have significant impact on print providers’ prospects for growth in 2018.

Direct Mail Engages…Even with Millennials!

Published November 30, 2017

Even in this digital age, tried-and-true direct mail communications continue to get noticed. This article cites recent research from Keypoint Intelligence – InfoTrends to explore how direct mail can be used to cut through the clutter and capture the attention of today’s “always on” consumers.

Information is Power… Use It to Make Your Best Business Decisions!

Published November 16, 2017

Printing business executives and managers who have learned to fortify their companies' business plans and strategies with a consistent flow of useful and compelling business data will be much better positioned to unlock growth potential and protect against sales declines. This article explores how business leaders can use internal and external information to drive business expansion.

A Case Story Isn’t Just a Leave-Behind: 6 Habits for Successful Delivery

Published October 26, 2017

A case story isn’t just something that you leave behind before you walk out the door. It is a tool that is delivered in a framework to bring personality and credibility to your business. This article explores how the ability to tell a compelling story can create a meaningful connection between a brand and a customer/prospect.

thINK 2017: A Thriving Inkjet Forum

Published October 19, 2017

The third annual thINK 2017 event took place during October 9 – 11 at the Boca Raton Resort & Club. The sold out event was the largest thINK conference yet. This article outlines the key highlights and speakers at the show.

Special Effects Beyond CMYK in Digital Printing

Published August 24, 2017

A number of today’s commercially available digital printing solutions have added units beyond four-color, either inline or offline, to enable special effects that enhance digital print. Unique imaging capabilities can transform printed materials from commodity, price-sensitive offerings to higher-value products that command a premium. This article explores how special effects can enhance the value of print and create new growth opportunities for service providers.

Articles by Keypoint Intelligence