how to add value to print
Organisations that sell high-quality or luxury goods can’t afford for their marketing materials to look anything other than extraordinary. In addition to exceptional quality photography, copy, and design, these organisations need printed materials that stand out in a crowded market. This creates opportunities for industrial and commercial printers to add value to the print jobs they provide and open up new opportunities to grow.
While so much of marketing has become digital, there's still a place for printed materials. In fact, a high-quality piece of printing can cut through the noise created by so much online communication. And, with digital printing becoming more common, it’s now possible to create shorter print runs, personalised marketing materials, and faster turnaround times for jobs.
Four ways to add value to print jobs
Adding value to print jobs can help printers attract more business, deliver a better-quality output, and potentially uncover new revenue streams or markets. Here are four ways to add value to print:
1. UV LED inkjet technology
As well as being environmentally sustainable, UV LED inkjet technology has an extremely fast drying process. This delivers rapid turnaround times and means inks don’t have time to bleed into the media, leaving a crisper and brighter result without any imperfections or waviness that could be caused by heaters or dryers.
The ability to print on standard offset media also means there’s no need for specialist materials, making this a cost-effective approach. And, with presses capable of printing 3,000 sheets per hour simplex, and 1,500 sheets per hour perfecting, short-turnaround jobs become much more viable.
Further, inkjet technology offers all the benefits of digital printing such as agility, personalisation, workflow automation, and high productivity. It also lets printers offer affordable, higher-volume short-run jobs. This makes it ideal for direct mail, marketing collateral, books, publications, and more.
2. Embellishment through foils and coatings
Adding foils and other coatings to embellish prints, especially on labels or marketing materials, can really make products stand out. This creates a tactile, visually impressive experience that invokes a sense of luxury and quality. Digital finishing, including foil and raised effects, can add significant value.
It’s important to choose a press that can embellish over toner, inkjet, and offset prints as well as a wide range of substrates. New haptic, digital varnish technology lets printers offer spot gloss, three-dimensional printing, and metallic looks at a fraction of the cost and time of previous solutions. Adding these embellishments and special touches can instantly take an ordinary brochure, label, or mailer and turn it into something more compelling.
With fast turnaround even on complex embellishments, digital varnish technology offers high productivity, making it an extremely attractive option for customers. The high-end output also means printers can charge a premium for these services.
3. High-resolution printing on most substrates.
Presses that offer true 1,200 x 1,200 dots per inch (DPI) resolution are ideal for high-value printing because they ensure that even small text can be reproduced faithfully. A press with built in technology to help achieve a wide colour gamut will ensure you can offer unlimited creative print applications and being able to print on a wide range of substrates can also add value for customers with specific requirements. This can help printers offer more variety and choice, potentially engaging new markets.
4. Label printing and finishing
The capacity to offer affordable and efficient label printing and finishing also adds value for customers. It means they don’t need to go to multiple printers for their various requirements, letting printers act as a one-stop-shop and gain greater share of the customer’s wallet.
New industrial label presses deliver high quality through a combination of efficient hardware and smart software, offering flexibility and high productivity. Printers that add label printing and finishing capabilities to their offering can attract more customers and, potentially, gain higher margins.
The right press for the job
At Konica Minolta, we’re focused on helping industrial and commercial printers maximise their margins, open up new revenue streams, and seize new opportunities. With industry-leading presses that offer exceptional return on investment (ROI), Konica Minolta helps printers add value for their customers, adopt the latest technologies for superior outcomes, and streamline workflows for greater efficiencies.