Who better than HP to talk to about the opportunities that are available in pivoting a traditional print business into the wide-format digital print production space? They’ve been producing wide-format digital poster printers since the turn of the millennium.
Today wide-format is everywhere. Look around the next time you are in town. There are backlit billboards and frontlit banners; interior signage and display graphics on shop windows and in-store posters; temporary popup displays promoting the latest seasonal campaigns and special offers; and vehicle graphics on vans and vinyl wrapped customised cars. Wide-format digital print is everywhere, and it provides a very real growth opportunity for any commercial print business.
With the recent release of the HP Latex 630 printer series, the price point of entry into commercial quality wide-format print production has also never been lower. It is quite literally now accessible to all.
HP on how to maximise profits with wide-format print
Wide-format print has been regarded as a key growth market for some time now, with a huge range of work on offer for companies active in this sector. However, as more businesses move into the market, competition for work intensifies and print companies are having to be clever about the way they operate to maximise their profits.
There are plenty of things to consider when ensuring you are generating the maximum amount of profit from the wide-format work you are producing.
First and foremost, the choice of printer is of paramount importance; the right investment can set you on the path to profit and establish your business among the leaders in wide-format print. For example, some machines are designed for specialist applications and niche work, while other devices are more versatile and can handle a range of popular and widespread work such as posters and textile products.
However, as is the case with all types of new investment, selecting a printer is no easy task. If you are looking to produce wider-format work, then you should be asking, “is the printer wide enough for this work?” Similarly, if you want to take on textile-based work, you should establish whether a printer has been designed to handle this sort of material and if it is able to run inks that are compatible with textiles.
By asking these types of questions, you are ensuring you have the right piece of technology in place to handle the type of work you want to produce, allowing you to target the markets that offer the most profitable opportunities for your business.
At HP, we offer a wide range of wide-format print solutions, each designed to help customers produce quality print every time across all types of applications within wide-format markets.
HP Latex printers enable users to print on virtually any substrate, deliver the highest quality of print over time and deliver projects on the same day, thus allowing them to access all sort of work in the wide-format segment.
Then there is the HP DesignJet range, a series of wide-format print job submission plotters that are intuitive and easy to print, allowing those working in the architecture, engineering and construction sectors to give their attention to what is important.
For those companies focused more on textile-based word, the HP Stitch printer series includes a host of machines capable of producing vibrant and accurate colours across all sorts of applications within this creative sector.
Pushing the boundaries
One of the first things you should be talking about when it comes to buying a new printer is how well it operates in terms of productivity. While there are plenty of good options on the market when it comes to wide-format print kit, many of these are limited by their speed and will restrict users in terms of how much work they can take on, and thereby reducing profit potential.
Investment in HP wide-format equipment is a safe bet. Not only do our printers offer high quality printing capabilities across a range of substrates, but also produce work at an excellent rate, thus allowing you to take on more work and form partnerships with a wider range of customers, boosting your income and profit in the process.
Take for example the HP Latex 800 series; both the HP Latex 800 and HP Latex 800W offer printing speeds of up to 36sq m/hr in outdoor mode, printing vivid colours on media as wide as 1.63m. These machines also offer storage for up to 100 jobs, allowing the user to start printing certain jobs quickly without having to worry about tricky setup.
The added benefit of working with the HP Latex printers is that you can work with HP’s market leading white ink. This innovative feature allows you to add another dimension to wide-format print work, which will in turn help your business stand out from the crowded market as an innovator in this highly creative segment.
Sustainable print is increasingly being demanded by the brands and their consumers
Another aspect to consider when investing in new technology – both wide-format and other areas – is the impact this machinery will have on the world around us. Sustainability has become an incredibly important element for customers in recent years, and with this trend showing no signs of slowing down, print companies need to factor this in when making new investments.
Demonstrating your commitment to the environment through the type of equipment you run is an easy and effective way of showing off your green credentials to customers, helping you retain those clients with a keen eye on the environment, as well as win new work from like-minded customers across all areas of wide-format print.
HP understands this and is itself fiercely dedicated to sustainability. Take for example our HP Latex printers; these machines run innovative water-based inks, which are much more planet-friendly than their solvent, eco-solvent and UV counterparts, yet still produce an incredibly high quality of printed output and are suitable for use on both indoor and outdoor wide-format projects.
For further proof of HP’s commitment to the environment, then look no further than the impressive raft of certifications that have been awarded to HP Latex inks. The latest HP Latex inks are all UL ECOLOGO certified, meaning they meet strict health and environmental criteria, while the inks also hold the coveted GREENGUARD GOLD certification, confirming their ultra-low emissions.
This focus is strengthened through the HP Amplify Impact program, which extends HP’s Sustainable Impact strategy to encourage HP partners to drive change across the global IT sector. Those that pledge their commitment to the scheme will gain access HP’s knowledge, training and resources to not only improve their environmental credentials, but significantly enhance print production.
In addition, the HP Planet Partners return and recycling offers our customers around the world an easy and cost-effective way of recycling waste and further enhancing their green credentials. To put the impact of this scheme into perspective, more than 875 million original HP Ink and Toner Cartridges have been recycled by customers with HP Planet Partners.
Being part of these schemes will allow you to shout about your green credentials form the rooftops, and like-minded customers, both new and old, will certainly take notice.
Plotting your path to profitable wide-format production
As leading innovator in the print industry, HP is in a position to offer a range of supporting products to help customers get the most out of their HP hardware and maximise profits on work printed on these machines.
HP PrintOS is an incredibly valuable print production operating system with web and mobile apps designed to help you users to get the most of their presses, while also simplifying and automating production.
Currently utilised by over 34,000 people around the world, HP PrintOS can be used continuously to improve your operations, inspire your staff and make better, faster decisions – all of which can lead to greater profit for your business.
PrintOS makes it easy to manage any number of jobs from submission to shipment, collaborate with partners and colleagues, and discover new opportunities for growth. As a further benefit, users can access the open, secure cloud-based platform anytime and from anywhere in the world.
Suitable for use with HP Latex and HP DesignJet printers, key features of this solution include Print Beat, which uses historical and near real-time press data for better-informed decisions, as well as the Knowledge Zone, a searchable repository of technical, training, application, and marketing resources.
Then there is Open API, allowing for simple integration with third-party products and applications, and also the Partner Ecosystem, whereby users are able to leverage pre-integrated web-to-print and content providers to innovate and grow their business in the busy market.
Wide-format print may indeed be a competitive sector and margins on some work are decreasing, but by adapting your approach to work by making sure you are getting the most out of your printing kit and running the applicable software to support this technology, you can maximise profit and grow your business to new heights.
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