September is a time where we learn a lot in the print industry, especially for our clients and partners in the North American market. This is generally driven by large trade events in the September and October timeframe, which in turn produces a lot of analyst projections, industry news and a natural focus on the final quarter of the calendar year—and—what the next year will bring.
This year there are three themes driving the digital print volumes of tomorrow; themes that Scodix printing technology can directly help you leverage in your print shops for your customers. Moreover, the differentiator in partnering with Scodix is a complete printing solution that will not only set your print apart from your competition, but allow you to expand your markets and bring in new fruitful opportunities. What are these themes for future success? Match texture, substrates that make print pop and hands-free inline finishing.
Let’s take a closer look at these three themes that will drive future print volumes.
Texture
Recently, InfoTrends (a division of KeyPoint Intelligence) discussed what they believed would drive the future of digital print volumes. Texture is still one of those embellishments to print that seems out of reach to many, but has an incredible impact on the engagement customers have with the printed piece. Now, to be fair, a lot of the presentation was about how paper is being used to create a difference in texture. We have a slightly different perspective coming from the ink technology perspective. With a Scodix Ultra Digital Enhancement Press, print shops are given the ability to add several microns of dimension to their print allowing for realistic creation of everyday materials. One of the examples we love to use is the basketball. Why does texture make the difference? It evokes emotion, a connection to the visual stimulus on the printed page…and research shows it drives a positive and stronger connection to the brand that is providing the experience.
Substrates
When printing today, we are all looking for differentiation. At Scodix, we want our clients to be able to deliver the best of both worlds from an ink-on-the-page perspective and the type of substrate that ink is delivered on. Similar to our previous discussion about textures, the substrate can make a huge difference in the way a printed piece is perceived. Thinking a little outside of the box, the substrate can also change the longevity of the print and the investment a customer makes. Printing on different types of paper, corrugated stock and even plastics, gives a print shop the ability to not only offer durable and unique experiences, but the ability to expand their offerings—add being able to do that on one device such as a Scodix Ultra Digital Enhancement Press and you have the start to the next surge in business. Add the ability to leverage packaging capabilities and your market opportunities could really open up with flexible packaging projected to grow at a CAGR of 64.9% in the year 2021 and folding carton at a CAGR of 50.2%. For our team, the best part is a Scodix can help you in all of the high-growth digital printing markets.
Inline Finishing
Another interesting statement in the recent state-of-the-market presentation from InfoTrends was this statement: “Efficient workflows equal higher margins.” Part of an efficient workflow in their opinion includes the ability to have “lights out inline finishing”. Our experts at Scodix could not agree more! One of the value-adds of using a Scodix Ultra Digital Enhancement Press is the ability to accomplish a variety of finishing outputs without having to take your print production to another process outside of your original print engine—or an offline production process. With inline finishing that doesn’t require operator intervention, you are not only more efficient and creating higher margins, but you are also able to be more competitive on jobs that have stand out finishing requirements and up-sell customers on finishing that they otherwise might not have believed they could afford. Bring on the scodified print and the higher margins!
At Scodix, it is our mission to help our clients win in the competitive print landscape. Whether you are printing short-run direct mail, personalized greeting cards, brand experience signage or books and collateral, we have the future in printing technology to make you stand out, drive positive interactions and save time and money on the production process.
Don’t take our word for it, contact us today to order a sample of scodified print…after all, touching is believing.
Join us on Twitter (@Scodixsense and #Scodified), Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.
