Why invest in a large format printer? At the risk of stating the obvious, the number one reason is so you can print at a scale not possible with a smaller printer. Yet although scale may be the obvious benefit, it’s far from the only one…
1. Increase breadth of print capability
Wide-format printing doesn’t just refer to the size of the print you create; it also reflects the breadth of media you can print on.
Every wide format printer will be able to handle large sheets of paper used in producing plans and posters. Many will be able to process the vinyl and mesh materials you’ll need for banners, stickers and floor graphics. Some may offer even greater flexibility, with niche capabilities like printing on canvas or the sort of corrugated PVC board used by estate agents.
2. Expand your print offering
Directly related to the above point, the more versatile your large-scale printer, the more services you can potentially offer to clients.
There’s a caveat to this, of course: the more services you offer, the more stock you need to hold and the higher your overheads will be, so it’s important to:
- Consider the customers you have now and their print needs
- Consider the customers you could attract if you were to expand those print capabilities
- Analyse the likely volume of that additional work to assess the cost benefit of investing in a large format printer that can do more
- Consider the capabilities of local competitors who may already offer such print services
With your due diligence complete, and if the sums stack up, buying a wide format printer that can deliver more for a wider range of customers could enable you to bring far more business your way.
3. Increase turnaround
Every print business is limited by the speed of its printers.
Generally speaking, a new large format printer will print faster than an older version. At the extremes, a new printer could be up to 10x as fast as an older model. But the real reason to invest in a new wide scale printer isn’t simply a matter of how fast the new piece of equipment processes a project. It’s about what that speed could mean for your business.
That extra speed could enable you to:
- Work successfully with a single printer, rather than having to invest in a duplicate together with its servicing and running costs
- Minimise the space taken up by printers in your print shop, creating a safer, less cluttered environment and, potentially, reducing your need to seek larger premises as printer numbers increase
- Free up space and resource to buy printers with different capabilities
4. Increase productivity
It’s not just straight print speed that can make a difference!
New printer models are constantly evolving drying, laminating and print stacking capabilities and technology, so there’s much less of a need to impatiently wait for your prints to dry, and more chance of seamlessly switching from one job to the next.
5. Reduce monitoring
Every print worker spends more time than they’d like changing print rolls and topping up or switching inks and toner.
Some larger printers can house bigger ink reservoirs and may have capacity for two rolls of media, reducing the amount of time you spend monitoring and housekeeping.
6. Do more in-house
We supply print materials to a wide range of organisations and not all of them are dedicated print businesses.
Many of them are organisations who have simply chosen to bring more of their print production in house to reduce their outsourced print costs, increase quality control and ensure that rush jobs and impossibly tight deadlines became easier to manage.
That extra control can be important because, if print is something you’ve traditionally outsourced, you may have experienced the uncomfortable feeling of being the ‘middle man’, at the mercy of someone else’s ability to deliver as promised.
With a large format printer, you can do more yourself, without having to rely on (or pay for) someone else.
7. Lower operating costs
Very much linked to the increased speed, capability and productivity of your wide format print system is the most important element of all: COST.
Get more done faster and you can generate more income. Do it on a modern, energy efficient printer and you cut costs relative to older models. And when your printer of choice has the capability of two or three older machines, you have one printer to buy, one set of maintenance to pay for, and one set of inks to buy.
Found the right large format printing system for you? Now, discover the print materials to help you make the most of it. Talk to us.
