From wrapped buses and store signage to construction signs and sale posters, wide format printing can be found everywhere.
And with these up-and-coming wide format printing trends, this form of printing is not only here to stay, but is expected to grow to a $10+ billion industry by 2023.
Here’s what you can expect to see emerge in the next couple of years.
Textiles
Screen printing is the preferred choice for printing on fabric, but digital, wide format printing is become more and more viable thanks to more and more short-run, high-turnaround capabilities.
Retailers, exhibitors, and designers alike support textile printing due to its softer, organic features. Digital large format printing translates well to an array of fabrics like cotton, polyester, and silk. Large format printing for fabrics make for lightweight products that ease shipping costs, too.
Textile printing is driving the growth of the wide format printing industry thanks to its flexibility across a multitude of products.
Short Runs
Digital printing advancements are making for faster and more efficient print runs, which in turn have seen the wide format printing sector adopt the ability to produce short runs. Wide format printing output can reach 1000 sq. ft. per hour, enabling companies to reduce packaging inventory and stock holdings.
The new technologies allow for variable data printing in wide format sizes, too, eliminating pain-staking and costly customization in each run.
You might also like: A Quick Guide to Wide Format Printing
Single-Pass Printing
One-pass, high-speed production printing is taking wide format printing productivity – at reduced overhead costs – to another level.
With the demand for swift turnaround times at its peak, single-pass printing is being more sought after. Since its introduction in 2013, single-pass printers have evolved in durability, quality, and total print volume, which the wide format industry is now being afforded all the benefits of. These printers are currently being used for wide-format banners, canvases, floor graphics, signs, and more.
UV Printing
UV printing is expected to overthrow high-end solvents with UVgel inks; this lowers printing costs by up to 40 per cent.
These UV inks really show their colours in wide format print jobs, largely due to their quick-dry capabilities and flexibility across a number of materials like fabrics, plastics, glass, metals, and even wood.
For the best in wide format printing products and technologies, visit your local Print Three and work with Canada’s choice printing company for the past 50 years.