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Insights from the Latest PRINTING United Alliance State of the Industry Report   The PRINTING United Alliance State of the Industry Report , sponsored by Canon U.S.A., delivers critical insights into the health and direction of the printing industry through quarterly surveys of print providers. These surveys are designed to track, measure, and analyze trends in performance, investment, and strategic priorities across all segments of the industry. While the full report is available exclusively to PRINTING United Alliance members, thINK members have access to a valuable executive summary of the most recent findings from the State of the Industry Update – Fourth Quarter 2024 . This latest edition is based on data collected from 294 printing companies located in the United States and Canada. These businesses vary widely in size, with annual revenues ranging from under $500,000 to over $200 million. The executive summary provides timely insights into key performance metrics, including: …

A question I’m asked a lot is: “How can we sell value when RFPs prevent us from talking to decision-makers?” It’s a fair question. RFPs and other bidding environments are often specifically designed to strip value from price—creating a wall between your best differentiators and the procurement teams who “only care about low cost.” In the production inkjet world, where speed, quality, and efficiency are key, blindly competing in RFPs can be a race to the bottom. Let’s explore two scenarios—and what to do in each. Case #1: The Wall is Truly Impenetrable In some RFPs, there’s zero opportunity to communicate value—no access to decision-makers, no dialogue, just an online submission. These RFPs favor bottom-feeders—the cheapest providers, regardless of quality. If you’re a best-in-class production inkjet print service provider, you’ll rarely win these unless you’re willing to slash margins. And that raises a bigger question: How much time, money, and effort are you wasting chasing …

Print service providers can look forward to numerous opportunities in the coming year to tap into emerging trends, boost operational efficiency, and promote sustainable growth. A NAPCO Research report , Production Digital Printing 2025: Setting the Course to Thrive in the Year Ahead, identifies the major market forces shaping competition and progress, and highlights actions that print service providers should take.  The report outlines 11 key trends expected to impact industry competition, guide the competitive landscape, and identify critical strategies for print service providers. Here is a summary of key trends featured in the report. Preparing for a New Generation of Workers A NAPCO Research survey found that 72% of commercial printers view hiring production staff as a significant challenge, with 63% citing similar difficulties in hiring sales staff. To address this, print providers must focus on attracting and developing Gen Z workers, who are expected to make up nearly a third …

Artificial intelligence is poised to be the next big printing industry disruptor and its adoption has begun. According to Artificial Intelligence in the Printing Industry the Journey Begins , a combined PRINTING United Alliance and NAPCO Research study, print providers across segments are in the early stages of harnessing AI in print production, sales, marketing, and management applications. The research study, part of an ongoing series to track AI industry adoption and use, indicates that print providers are adding AI applications into their operations. Comparing two separate PRINITING United Alliance surveys conducted during different time periods (Figure 1) shows participants using AI have increased to 40.0% in March 2024 from 24.7%, in September 2023.  Figure: 1 Print Providers Increasing Use of AI      This research combines ongoing quantitative and qualitative research to identify the current status of AI use, the functions where it is being implemented, the benefits it is …

Great production inkjet print service providers know they’re more than order-takers—they’re trusted advisors helping customers achieve better results.  So why do so many print service providers sell consultatively throughout the buyer’s journey—only to abandon that approach when it comes time to present pricing and proposals? At the critical stage of proposing, pricing, and negotiating, many sellers fall into three dangerous traps that undermine their expertise and put them in a weaker position: Letting customers dictate the solution Overloading them with too many options Caving too quickly on price pressure Here’s how to avoid these traps and sell with confidence. Lead the Customer—Don’t Just Take Orders We routinely see that sellers give the customer too much room to define and design a solution of their choosing. Sometimes the customer belongs in the driver’s seat, but often it’s the seller that’s in the best position to define the right solution to solve the problem. Be bold …