As we welcomed in 2021, we also welcomed change and growth in the commercial printing industry. Since the invention of the printing press commercial printing has consistently been popular. The value of mass printing capabilities has changed the world for centuries. This is an industry that generates nearly $900 billion in annual revenue. With increased demands and profit margins, it is an industry that continues to boom as companies expand their printing budgets and find new ways to expand their presence in the marketplace.
In order to stay competitive, commercial printing continues to advance with new products and services being created and offered every year. Some of the biggest trends for 2021 highlight range from recycling efforts to laser cutting. Check out our top ten list below!
- Design Services: Adding a design team to your business adds a new level of competitiveness to your list of services. Whether you bring on a single graphic designer or a team of designers and digital print experts, this opens up the window of opportunity to earn revenue from logo design, photo editing, and website design rather than relying solely on print income.
- Shimmering: Multi-process printing techniques are helping all businesses make a statement. The shimmering technique helps to highlight various print design areas with shiny or three-dimensional effect. This effect stands out on menus, wedding invitations, and luxury business cards.
- Laser Cutting: Another production technique that is a bit more intricate than shimmering, but provides the same dramatic effect. Popular with holiday cards and invitations, this technique allows printers to outline delicate designs to create a textured effect. Sometimes coupled with colored foils, this process delivers a beautifully finished product.
- Digital Marketing: Remaining competitive in the commercial printing industry means being able to diversify. Digital marketing services are one of the most effective forms of advertising available and are likely to increase revenue. Beyond email marketing, digital marketing can also include social media ads, website hosting and podcast creation.
- Mail List Sourcing: Mail lists have been available to businesses for over two decades. No matter what type of business you have, household mail opportunities are guaranteed to increase exposure in the community. Lists can easily be customized based on a host of variable demographics such as specific age grounds, income brackets, or lifestyle preferences. Commercial printers redue their overhead and increase profit margins when they’re able to source their own mailing lists for customers.
- Direct Mail Campaigns: This relatively inexpensive marketing tactic is a great way to keep business and services at the forefront of your local community. Custom designs can be sent through individually sourced lists or can be grouped into packets with offers from multiple companies. Direct mail is a consistently effective way to reach new, existing, and inactive customers.
- Print Ready Art Sources: When it comes to industrial printing the resolution of source images is crucial. In order to produce the ideal finished product designers often have to request new artwork in high-resolution files. Text documents as well need to be reviewed adn typeset to create a polished finished piece. With smartphones technology and advancements in cameras amateur and novice users can provide print-ready artwork to their commercial printers keeping costs low for end users and increasing revenues for specialists in the printing industry.
- Recycling Efforts: Waste is an unavoidable cost of doing business in the commercial printing industry.Setting up copiers, mixing inks, setting rollers and die sheets require trial and error runs, take up time, and produce up to 50 pages of paper waste. In order to reduce waste on machine setups efforts are being made to recycle scraps, utilizing in-house recycling centers for ink, toner, and byproducts as well as varied sizes of paper rolls to reduce excess cutting.
- Specialization: By choosing to specialize in a particular area of the commercial printing world companies can expand their presence in the industry’s marketplace. Specialized goods and services such as rare paper stocks, wholesaling popular promotional items and precision laser cutting allow businesses to corner certain markets and offer goods and services to other printers in the area. If you can deliver a particular product or service you can hone into that industry and act as a broker or wholesaler for those around you.
- Diversification: Continued growth and success in the printing industry require expansion. Whether it is into other print-related areas like digital marketing or signage. Others have absorbed or partnered with other companies that excel in different industries such as corporate branding or vinyl wrapping. This diversification allows for continued commercial printers to set themselves apart and increase their future growth.
With an average growth rate of 4% per year, the commercial printing industry will always be necessary for businesses big and small. With specialization and diversification commercial printers can increase their revenue streams and annual growth. The need for business cards, direct mailers, stationary, commercial signage is continuing to grow and by staying on top of the trends we can only continue to grow upwards from here. Contact the team at BNP for all your digital and print needs. We’re here to keep your business trending.