Even in the digital age, there’s a bright and colorful future for commercial printing.
Some companies print thousands of documents a day. Special media like posters and custom graphics are also common across various industries. This high level of demand for commercial print processes has led to a massive boom in innovation.
Never before have so many trends, techniques, and technologies hit the industry at the same time. Today companies are clamoring to learn about and implement these changes so their commercial printing will be as productive as possible.
How Print Quality is Changing with New Techniques
The top commercial printing trends cover a wide array of categories, but the first most people think of is techniques. What techniques are being used to strike the perfect balance of high-definition detail and precise design?
The first new technique is one that makes prints almost literally pop off the page. Shimmering is a process that can be used to make certain areas of a print look different, or more detailed. This draws the eye to them, creating a layered effect that is sometimes even reminiscent of 3D.
With the advancements in digital design these days, it’s no wonder that print technology is drifting this way. The fact that it can be done on nearly any stock material means that it’s an option for posters, brochures, business cards, and much more.
Laser cutting is another technique that can achieve this effect. Traditionally used as a sizing process to bring prints to precise dimensions, it’s also been fashioned to create gentle and subtle textures on materials.
These are a cou nple of examples of how print technology is making materials look more detailed than ever – but where do these designs connect with a company’s marketing processes?
Commercial Printing’s Critical Role in Marketing
While the age of digital transformation has most companies focusing their advertorial efforts in the online realm, don’t underestimate the continued role of printing.
It’s why many companies still focus on building the perfect print fleet and even using managed print services for maximum efficiency. With the aforementioned techniques to increase image quality, companies are supporting their mail list and direct mail campaigns with higher-res materials.
Restaurants, retailers, gyms, and many other types of organizations love to send out coupons and special offers. Presentation is everything, especially since many people consider print media to be on the way out. When the offer grabs a person’s attention immediately, that person is more likely to connect with the organization behind it.
Why would companies that don’t lean heavily on print media embrace commercial printing as part of their marketing strategy? For one, this is a popular technique to reengage with lapsed customers. It’s also a proven way to reach out to newcomers, or to spread the word about a new business quickly.
By diversifying their promotional strategies, companies can maximize their returns. Print media complements digital marketing nicely, resulting in a combination that can quickly drive up ROI – especially if companies utilize quality commercial print solutions.
Art Sources Optimized for Commercial Print
While some people think that the process of producing great prints only requires the right machine and the push of a button, it’s rarely that simple.
For one, there’s often a disjointed effort between the content’s creator or designer and the company that will handle the printing process. Even managed print services usually focus solely on the latter, and have little input in the creation of content before it’s sent to the printers.
The problem is that the original designs may not always have the appropriate resolution or be the appropriate file type to create optimal results. When images must be scaled, cropped, converted, compressed, or modified, it can come through in the final result. Images may look blurry or even bland once they’re made ready for print.
All that is changing now, as programs and devices are becoming more focused on producing print-ready creations. By using prebuilt resolutions and formats, many of today’s devices help creators produce content that will look just as good (if not better) when it is printed off and in their hands.
Printing as a Business Sustainability Process
Print technology is known as one of the most resource-intensive processes a company has. Commercial printing is being optimized for greater efficiency, not just for image quality, but as a business sustainability process.
By creating the best possible result with the minimal required resources, managed print companies and print shops help companies to reduce their environmental impact.
Do you want to make your commercial printing processes more detailed, efficient, and sustainable? Then reach out to Doing Better Business today. Our print expertise has helped companies improve their operations, and we’d love to help you as well – contact us today.