From Print to Profit: How to Diversify with Large Format Technology

Large format printers offer a versatile way to diversify a business, particularly in uncertain economic times. This article explores a range of opportunities, from traditional signage and out-of-home advertising to specialised markets like textile printing, wallpaper, and direct-to-object decoration. The key is to leverage the printer’s versatility and invest in the appropriate finishing equipment.

There’s no doubt that we are living through uncertain times, with slow economic growth that affects all nations and all market areas. Even if you are busy with a full order book, there is always the danger that you could be hit by a sudden slow down in work. And of course there are logistical challenges to shipping, an uncertain international trading outlook and persistently high inflation.

So it makes sense for anyone working in large format to look for further opportunities to diversify their business. And fortunately large format printing machines are extremely versatile, and most people working on the sector are quite creative when it comes to offering new solutions.

In some cases, this is just a matter of looking for new applications that can be satisfied with the same equipment. But there’s also a case to be made for investing in new kit to address new markets. It largely depends on the routes to market you already have in place, and whether you are addressing business or consumer customers, and therefore how adaptable your sales force and ordering system might be.

So for this story we’ll outline the various market sectors that together make up the large format world. Readers can then judge for themselves if there are areas that they could easily further diversify into. Most wide format printers can handle a remarkably diverse range of substrates, so the same kit can address many different market opportunities. This is especially true of printers UV-curable inks, which will adhere to virtually anything from paper and plastics through to wood, metal, glass and even concrete. The main alternative is latex, also known as resin ink, which usually works with a primer to give it a similar versatility. And since resin ink is water-based, it also helps tick the sustainability box that is becoming increasingly important to corporate customers.

This versatility means these printers can handle a huge range of different applications from general signage and display graphics, both indoors and outdoors, through to product…