The new Taktiful/WhatTheyThink 2026 Embellishment Study is now available! This report takes a close look at users of digital embellishments to add special colors, effects, and textures to printed materials. The aim of this study was to understand who is using digital embellishments, how often they are using them, what customer interest in them has been, and the extent to which they represent a profit center, either presently or potentially. The study also asked about the challenges of implementing these capabilities, including design and production.

This is the third study on this topic, the first having been conducted in 2023 (which looked solely at specialty inks and toners) and the second in 2025 (which looked at all digital embellishments).

In what is perhaps the most encouraging chart in the entire report, two-thirds of respondents in the study’s “convenience sample” said they have seen more demand for digital embellishments in the past year, wa-a-a-a-y up from the 29% who said this in last year’s survey. Eighteen percent said demand has remained about the same (wa-a-a-a-y down from 56% last year), and only 5% have seen less demand for embellishments, down from 9% last year.

This supports anecdotal evidence that print buyers are becoming more hip to the idea of embellishments and the advantages of embellished print (in terms of response rates) over unembellished print.

You can read more and purchase the study here.