Three Trends From 65 PRINTING United Expo Exhibitor Interviews

Before PRINTING United Expo opened its doors, I spoke with 65 exhibitors.

They shared what they are bringing to the show and where they believe printers can grow and improve their processes. You can watch all the LinkedIn Live Preview Week and Preview Pop-Up replays here: https://www.youtube.com/@PrintMediaCentr

During the interviews, three trends kept surfacing: Explore, Expand, Enable.

Whether you are attending the show or watching from home, here is some intel to ponder and share with your team.

Explore

Print customers generally ask for what they already know exists. They request another version of something they have produced before, bring you an idea they have already worked out, or send specifications for the piece they believe they need.

Exploring the show gives you something new to bring to that conversation.

It could be an application that adds value to a direct mail campaign, a printing method that changes what is possible (DIMENSE from Roland!), a finishing process that makes printed materials more valuable, or a potential partnership that helps bring customer ideas to life beyond your current capabilities.

I hope you return from Las Vegas with new equipment or technology, but that isn't the only way to make the trip pay off. You can also return with an idea and call a customer to say, “I saw something at the Expo that made me think of you.” It's a great way to start a conversation.

If you aren't attending, follow the trade media coverage and #PrintingUnitedExpo on socials to explore from home.

Expand

AND was my favorite word during my exhibitor interviews. AND opens the door to new possibilities, partnerships, AND ideas that make your business stickier with customers AND help you do more work with them.

Printing and branded merchandise.

Printing and wide format.

Printing and marketing technology.

Printing and finishing.

Every AND creates another door to open with customers. AND it doesn't have to be costly. I spoke with Graphic Whizard about my current obsession with creative perforations. Adding that one capability gives you a reason to show customers new ways to make printed materials interactive, useful, AND fun. That could start a new revenue stream.

Look at the work your customers already send you AND consider what could come before it, after it, or alongside it. The next opportunity may not require finding a new customer. It may be hiding inside projects you already produce.

Add AND to that conversation.

Enable

APIs, no-code and low-code tools, connected workflows, cloud platforms, printing networks, automation, and integrated production ecosystems came up throughout PRINTING United Expo Preview interviews.

A connected print business can move jobs through production with fewer manual steps, connect with outside partners, connect to additional production resources, and connect more capabilities to your print business so you can say yes to more requests.

That story is not new, and those benefits are still valuable. For me, the bigger picture is whether your equipment and software can keep connecting to what comes next.

During the interviews, I made this analogy. My computer has four ports, but I have eight things that need to connect to it. The only way I can expand is through hubs that plug into those ports. The hubs and USB devices have to be compatible. If they aren't, they can overheat, cause problems, and limit my ability to get work done.

Look at your current equipment and software as potential hubs. Can they connect with hundreds of apps, tools, platforms, partners, and production resources that could assist or transform your workflow? Can they be updated as your needs change, or will they need to be overhauled? If your print business isn't built to expand through compatible connections, now is the time to find out what needs to change.

Follow the AND philosophy here. Your print customers AND new ones through a production network. Your print customers AND supplying their branded merchandise. Your website AND design tools customers can use. Your direct mail services AND data that helps customers understand performance. AND on, and on.

What will you find?

PRINTING United Expo is filled with things to see and investigate whether you're on the show floor or scrolling your feed. I hope you find an idea to build upon, AND a customer to call about it.

The preceding content was provided by a contributor unaffiliated with Printing Impressions. The views expressed within may not directly reflect the thoughts or opinions of the staff of Printing Impressions. Artificial Intelligence may have been used in part to create or edit this content.