Fespa survey shows turnaround time is driving digital adoption

06 April 2010

Business

Demand for faster turnaround, just-in-time delivery and shorter runs are continuing to spur the adoption of digital printing in the wide-format market, according to the latest Fespa Worldwide Survey.

Close to 70% of respondents saw those three trends increasing in the organisation's third survey, which polled 582 firms around the world earlier this year in conjunction with InfoTrends.

Faster turnaround was the biggest driver, with 82% of companies stating that it was a growing requirement.

Other areas of strong demand from clients included personalisation and web-to-print/online ordering, with half the respondents reporting a demand for these services.

"The dynamics between clients and print service providers are clearly changing, but the most successful printers are adapting, embracing digital and blending it with other processes and services to deliver the right solutions to clients," said Fespa sales and marketing director Marcus Timson.

All firms predicted that an increasing proportion of their revenues would come from digital services over the next two years; accounting for half of the income for those with fewer than 100 staff.

The increased importance of digital print was reflected in 22% of respondents - the largest single group - choosing to describe themselves as digital printing specialists. Screen print and commercial print were the next most popular descriptions, each with 12%, while the remaining respondents included advertising agencies, exhibition builders, graphic designers, in plants, photo labs, repro houses, quick printers and sign shops.

Nearly a quarter of respondents said delivering marketing solutions was the future of the sector.

Banners, posters, signs and POS/POP continued to be the leading applications, while there was increased demand for billboards, photographic applications, decals and presentation graphics. Emerging applications in fine art, flooring, interiors and textiles also showed growth, with 78% of firms expanding the range of applications they produce.

Backlit displays were significantly down, with the proportion of firms producing them regularly falling from 46% to 26%.

Just over a third of companies (37%) plan to invest in new digital printing equipment in the next year, with another third considering it. UV-cured technology is most likely for a quarter of respondents with increased interest in eco-solvent and latex technologies, although 16% of businesses were undecided on the technology of their next machine.