Commercial high volume printing is slowing down; but Konica Minolta says this has provided an opportunity for the company to establish new revenue streams.
Leon Minnie, Konica Minolta product specialist, production systems, says: “What we've found is that commercial printing is slowing down because marketing and advertising companies are not willing to mass print 20 000 flyers and send them out. They are choosing to directly target specific markets distributing 3 000 prints.”
Minnie explains that the impact of the recession and the fact that companies are finding it more effective to target specific markets is having a direct effect on this trend.
“At the moment, it's favourable for us because our light production machines deal with this sector of the market. A job can be done immediately, and it can produce high-quality prints instantly. Big printers running high volumes need to invest in a digital machine to cater for the short runs because they are more cost-effective.”
Lighter side
Andrew Griffith, Konica Minolta product manager for office products, explains that on-demand printing has entered every aspect of the printing industry; which is changing workflow operations.
Griffith says in a statement: “According to the Rochester Institute of Technology School of Print Media, as of 2010, as much as 48% of all print work will be in runs of 2 000 prints or less. This means that almost 50% of the traditional offset print workload will be ideally suited to digital light production.”
The company is running open days in Johannesburg, Cape Town, and Durban during March as part of its strategy to drive awareness and sales around its light production printing machines.
Share