Keypoint Intelligence and Big Picture magazine conducted a survey of owners and employees of wide format print service providers (PSPs) to evaluate the trends in applications, purchase intentions, waste reduction, workflow optimization and revenue expectations. A majority of respondents were from commercial printer businesses, followed by wide format PSPs, sign shops and in-house digital print departments.

As we navigate the difficult road to economic recovery, the wide format market continues to grow and adapt to pandemic-related shifts in consumer behaviors and trends, while prioritizing production cost savings and waste reduction.

Findings of this study indicate that the most frequently produced applications may not be the most profitable, equipment purchases may be based on price rather than capabilities and that automation is gaining popularity.

"PSPs should try to automate wherever possible to streamline workflow, reduce labor costs, and reduce material loss and waste," said Eric Zimmerman, principal analyst, Keypoint Intelligence. "At this point, 90% of PSPs have some form of automated workflow."

"A healthy level of profitability is achievable if you offer diverse applications to your customers," said Adrienne Palmer, editor-in-chief, Big Picture magazine. "To learn firsthand what PSPs are doing to maintain financial success and gain market share in an ever-changing economy, read the key survey findings at bigpicturemag.com."

The Keypoint Intelligence and Big Picture magazine study can be purchased separately or as part of a subscription to other research provided by Keypoint Intelligence's Production service. In addition, add-on options to the purchase include the development of sales and marketing tools such as leveraging the data and developing messaging through pivot tables in Excel.