Business Trends to Watch in 2021

This time last year, everyone in the industry was gearing up for trade show season. Imaging USA was just winding down in Nashville and WPPI was getting ready to kick off in Las Vegas.

Then things changed.

As trade shows were canceled around the world, the large-format industry suddenly found itself in high-demand, supplying solutions for everything from directional signage to “thank you” banners to custom printed masks.

And, the outlook for 2021 doesn’t appear to be much different. From trying new media to buying new technology, print service providers will continue to do what they can to stay ahead of the rapidly changing market.

We’re here to help you navigate those changes. Let’s look at some of the advice experts are offering for 2021:

Be Aware – To help PSPs meet the immediate demands of clients and create new revenue streams, it’s important to understand the versatility of your equipment and media portfolio. Melissa Donovan, a writer for Digital Output, says “Those with the right hardware—printers and finishing devices—took existing operations and leveraged them to their advantage.”

Grow Customer Relationships – The customers who were new in 2020 will likely become some of your best “word-of-mouth” marketing in 2021, bringing you additional growth throughout the year. During an interview for the FESPA newsletter, Yucel Salih said, “Connections established in 2020 may prove incredibly useful in showing customers what’s possible with print in 2021.”

Grow Partnerships – With the way things can change so quickly, PSPs shouldn’t feel the need to go it alone. Understanding where to find help – whether it’s a new application or technology – is another way to continue to thrive in the ever-changing print landscape.

The biggest takeaway heading into 2021 is the trends that we are seeing now are based on current market conditions and can shift quickly based on what’s happening locally, nationally, and globally.

Looking back at anticipated trends of 2020, printing custom face masks was probably not at the top of the list, so please continue to discuss your business opportunities with your LexJet sales specialist for the most current information.

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The ABCs of Creating Back to School Safety Graphics

As school bells start ringing and “First Day of School” photos start hitting social media, that can only mean one thing: school is back in session. With many school districts offering in-person teaching, e-learning, and a hybrid of both, there are questions about how to keep students informed of health and safety requirements as they return to class.

To sort through all the information and to discuss the tools and resources available, we brought together two teams of specialists: one for print service providers, offering additional product and application advice, and one for educators who have limited experience with large format printing.

For educators and faculty members, Canon Technical Analyst Pete Wright and LexJet Application Expert Michael Clementi join us to provide some guidance to teachers and educational staff who may be working with large format printers for the first time as school districts consider bringing printing in-house rather than outsourcing graphics.

Clementi and Wright discuss how easy it is to work with the Canon imagePROGRAF PRO-Series 2100  and PosterArtist Lite, the free software that comes with the printer and they offer some suggestions for versatile media that can be used throughout the school for a variety of indoor and outdoor signage.

For PSPs, we sit down with LexJet Senior Account Executive, Ramiro Torrez, and Large Format Output Specialist, Nolan Dowdy, to discuss some of the applications and products that are available to help supply schools with health and safety signage for the upcoming school year.

When it comes to messaging in schools, consistency and location is the key. Reinforcing the everchanging guidelines put in place by the school, county, or state means that there could be the need for the quick and easy turnaround to get updated graphics installed.

For an in-house school print shop, some of the versatile and easy-to-install products that are compatible with the Canon printer include LexJet Print-N-Stick Fabric for floor graphics, LexJet 8 mil Production Satin Photo Paper for posters, and LexJet TOUGHcoat Thrifty Banner and Banner Ups for banners. For PSPs, offering the right solution for the right location is paramount to helping keep the students and faculty safe.

The approaches of educators and PSPs might be a little different, but the end goal of keeping students safe and healthy is the same. You can learn more about their efforts by clicking HERE. If you have additional questions, you can also reach out to one of our specialists at 800-453-9538 or visit LexJet.com.