Widthwise 2022

2022 An Image Reports publication The fifteenth annual survey and report on the state of the UK and Ireland’s wide-format print sector

In association with

Widthwise 2022

Welcome to Widthwise 2022... …and a huge thank you to the 201 print chiefs who completed the Widthwise survey earlier this year, enabling Image Reports to produce this independent report on the state of the UK/Ireland’s large-format print sector using grassroots data.

This is the 15th consecutive year we’ve conducted this poll of the UK/ Northern Ireland’s large-format printers, and in the following pages you’ll find easily digestible graphics depicting the data gathered, plus analysis of, and commentary on, all the findings. There are also editorial features relating to key issues identified by those findings.

You can find this full report online too, where its free to download, at www.imagereportsmag.co.uk/widthwise. However and wherever you read it, here’s hoping you take away valuable insight that you can use to your own business advantage.

CONTENTS

Lesley Simpson Editor, Image Reports magazine lesley.simpson@imagereportsmag.co.uk

06 | The key findings An easy-to-digest overview 10 | What the data tells us: Business outlook PSPs sing an upbeat tune against worrying background noise.

16 | PSPs moving on How do you take your business forward in the current market? Two print chiefs outline their strategic thinking.

20 | What the data tells us: Technological outlook Who’s spending what, where, why - and why not?

26 | What the suppliers think Five manufacturers respond to some of this year’s key poll findings.

Editor: Lesley Simpson lesley.simpson@imagereportsmag.co.uk Design: Alex Gold Advertising Manager: Carl Archer carl.archer@imagereportsmag.co.uk Tel: 020 7933 8976 Fax: 020 7933 8998 www.imagereportsmag.co.uk Image Reports SJP Business Media Ltd 2nd Floor, 123 Cannon Street London, EC4N 5AU Printed in Great Britain. ISSN 1478-338X No part of this circulation may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted by any means without the Publisher’s permission.

The editorial content does not necessarilrly refelct the views of the Publisher. The Publisher accepts no responsibility for any errors contained within the publication.

32 | What the data tells us: Environmental outlook Change is happening, but is it fast enough, and going far enough?

36 | Is your brain holding you back?

Why the lessons you’ve learned in the past might be why your business fails in the future - unless you question your mindset.

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Widthwise 2022

The key findings

I

t’s official - things are getting better.

Well, they are according to almost three quarters (73.63%) of the 201 UK/Ireland-based large-format PSPs that look part in the 15th annual Widthwise survey conducted by Image Reports earlier this year. In fact, 31.34% went as far as saying they were ‘very optimistic’ about their businesses over the next couple of years despite all the difficulties of readjusting to continued global, national and more local pressures. Only 11 companies (5.48%) said they were pessimistic.

That’s not to say all has been, nor is expected to be, wall-to-wall sunshine. The depressing, but hardly unexpected, fact is that half (50.25%) of those questioned had seen a drop in turnover in the 12 months to the start of 2022, but that’s fewer than the year before when two-thirds of respondents had. And this time around 36.82% said they had actually seen a rise in turnover, with more than a quarter of all those polled (26.37%) having logged an improvement of more than 10%.

Again, these are much better figures than those thrown up by the 2021 survey.

40% of the respondents to the 2022 poll said they had suffered a drop in print margins since the start of last year. Yet a similar proportion said they had stuck at about the same levels, and a fifth (20.40%) of the sample said they’d seen an improvement.

The findings come from a cross-section of those in the digital inkjet large-format focused domestic professional print sector.

Off the 201 PSPs that took part in this independent exercise more than half (114 companies or 56.72%) have five or fewer employees, though eight firms (3.98%) have over 100. 42.79% turnover less than £250,000 while 8.46% turnover more than £1-2m, and the same proportion turnover more than £5m. The full Widthwise survey dataset is analysed within this report, but for your quick consumption we’ve here highlighted some of the other key findings.

One of the those findings is that though almost 1 in 10 (9.45%) expect the UK’s wide-format print market to shrink over the next two years, two-thirds (66.17%) expect it to grow!

That’s not necessarily leading to investment in new kit however. Asked ‘how much are you expecting to invest in new hardware/software across your business in

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Q2. Number of employees in your company 1–5 6 – 10 11 – 20 21 – 51 More than 100 51 – 100

56.72% 17.91% 11.94% 5.97% 3.98% 3.48%

Q3. What is your company’s total turnover?

Up to £249,999 £250,000 - £499,999 £500,000 - £999,999 £1m - £1.99m £5m+ £2m - £4.99m

2022 compared to 2021?’ over half (58.21%) said less, though almost a third (32.34%) said more.

Asked how much they expected to invest in wide-format technology specifically over the next two years, the majority (69.65%) said under £20,000, and when asked if they would be buying a new digital wide-format printer in that period more than half (58.21%) said no to that too. Where investment is planned, more than half (51.74%) said it was to increase capacity. To improve efficiency was cited next (22.89%) followed by a requirement to move into new applications/markets (15.42%).

That tallies with what the respondents had to say about their priorities for 2022 and their strategic development. Over half (55.72%) said growing turnover was the main focus. Reducing costs was perhaps not as highly listed as expected - 11.44% put this top - nor was focusing on sustainable practices, which 6.47% put top.

Don’t let that latter figure fool you into thinking environmental concerns are unimportant however. A massive 91.04% said it was now more important for their company to be seen as environmentally friendly than it was two years ago, and almost two-thirds (62.19%) said their use

42.79% 22.39% 12.44% 8.46% 8.46% 5.47%

of recycled/recyclable print materials had increased over the last year. But tempering the situation was the feedback that almost two-thirds (62.19%) said few clients ask for their environmental credentials/policies.

Only 7.46% said most ask.

Asked ‘what is the biggest technological issue you face in wide-format?’ many said there are none! 22.39% noted ink and media reliability as continuing issues, 15.42% said machine reliability, 14.93% cited workflow/system integration issues and 11.44% colour management.

So, what else is eating the UK/Ireland’s large-format PSPs? Take a guess - the cost of supplies topped the list of fear (88.56% cited that), the cost of energy came second (81.09%) and the state of the UK economy came third (48.26%). 79.60 said they had experienced supply chain disruption to their business over the last year so that continued to be a downer, and 40.80% said they thought Brexit would prove bad for business in the medium- to long-term.

There’s obviously an acceptance that the game has changed, that it’s not going to change back to what it was, but that if you get involved in creating a new game it may be even more rewarding as a player - however large or small.

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Widthwise 2022

What the data tells us:

Business outlook

H

ow was it for you? The past year has presented its fair share of challenges but the results of the 2022 Image Reports Widthwise survey suggest that it was much less of an annus horriblis than 2020/21. That may explain the relatively rosy outlook shared by most print service providers (PSPs) in the UK and Ireland: 73.63% are optimistic about their business over the next two years. That view is underpinned by the fact that almost two out of three (66.17%) expect demand for wide-format print to grow over the same period, with only a pessimistic 9.49% believing it will shrink.

As upbeat as all that may sound, the survey also makes it absolutely clear that the sector is not out of the woods yet. More than four out of ten companies (40.30%) say their margins have decreased since the beginning of 2021. And very nearly the same proportion (39.80%) say their turnover has shrunk by more than 10% over the same period. That is a dramatic improvement over the year before - when 64.62% saw their revenues fall by 10% or more – but it does suggest that the industry is still not back to business as usual.

There is evidence of a growing performance gap between PSPs. While four out of ten are still struggling, 26.37% of companies report that their turnover has grown by 10% or more and 20.40% say their margins have increased over the past year. There was a significant, albeit hard to qualify, reduction in print capacity when the British economy went into total lockdown and this may have benefitted some of the survivors.

Looking ahead, 55.72% say that growing their business is top of their agenda while 14.93% are focusing on finding new markets. Reducing costs is top priority for 11.44% of respondents which reinforces the view that printers are pretty bullish about the future but may also reflect the drastic cost cutting that has occurred across the sector in the past two years.

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Q4. How has your total turnover changed since the start of 2021?

Decreased by more than 10% Increased by more than 10% Stayed about the same Increased by 1-10% Decreased by 1-10%

39.80% 26.37% 12.94% 10.45% 10.45%

Q5. How have your large-format print margins changed since the start of 2021?

Decreased No change Increased

40.30% 39.30% 20.40%

Q6. Which of these sectors is now the biggest provider of revenue for your business?

Retail Manufacturing Events Local Govt.

Education Construction Entertainment Hospitality Medical Other

30.35% 16.42% 13.43% 8.46% 7.46% 6.47% 4.98% 3.48% 2.49% 6.47%

Widthwise 2022

It is worth noting the global context in which the wide-format sector in the UK and Ireland is operating. Global economic growth this year will, the World Bank predicts, be 2.9%, just over half what it was in 2021. The British economy may do slightly better - growth forecasts vary between 2.8% and 3.8% - but could also do significantly worse due to the disruptive influence of industrial unrest, energy prices, food inflation, fragile consumer confidence and the possibility, which we are all resolutely doing our best to ignore, of a resurgence/new variant of Covid. In other words, this is exactly the kind of

year that the great American economist John Kenneth Galbraith had in mind when he remarked: “The only function of economics is to make astrology look respectable.”

As the wide-format sector derives so much of its revenue from the marketing sector, it is encouraging to note that leading media agency Zenith expects the global advertising spend to increase by 8% to $58bn this year. The UK’s ad spend is forecast to do even better than that, growing by around 10.7%, with outdoor advertising budgets predicted to rise by 31.5%. The less encouraging news is that

the growth in UK advertising spending is forecast to plunge to 5.4% in 2023. Still, slow growth is better than no growth.

Against that backdrop, the British wide-format industry has performed creditably - even more so when you reflect on the many obstacles it has faced - and still faces. Almost eight out of ten (79.60%) have experienced supply chain disruption in the past year. An even greater concern a serious worry for almost nine out of ten (88.56%) respondents is the soaring cost of supplies. The double whammy of price increases and lack of supply continuity is likely to hamper printers for the rest of

Q7. How do you feel about your business over the next two years?

Mildly optimistic Very optimistic Neutral Mildly pessimistic Very pessimistic

42.29% 31.34% 20.90% 4.48% 1%

Q8. What type of wide-format print are you currently involved in?

General banners/flags/signage Posters Exhibition and display graphics Transport graphics Window graphics Retail/POP/POS Billboard/outdoor advertising Wallpaper/murals Floor graphics Building hoards/wraps Fine art/photography Packaging Textile printing for garments Cardboard engineering Textile printing for banner/flags Industrial speciality (ceramics, metals etc) Textile printing for home/interiors Furniture Other

86.57% 81.59% 55.72% 32.84% 27.36% 27.36% 24.38% 20.90% 20.40% 18.91% 8.46% 8.46% 7.46% 4.98% 4.48% 2.49% 1% 0% 1%

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Widthwise 2022

Q9. What wide-format print applications will be most important to you in the coming two years?

Exhibition and display graphics General banners/flags/signage Transport graphics Retail/POP/POS Wallpaper/murals Fine art/photography Posters Billboard/outdoor advertising Textile printing for garments Textile printing for banner/flags Industrial speciality (ceramics, metals etc) Window graphics Building hoards/wraps Packaging Textile printing for home/interiors Floor graphics Furniture Cardboard engineering Other

22.89% 22.39% 7.96% 5.97% 4.98% 3.98% 2.49% 2.49% 1.99% 1.49% 1.49% 1% 1% 1% 0.5% 0% 0% 0% 18.41%

Q10. What is the order of your priorities for the next year?(Rank 1-6, 1 being the most important) Grow turnover Enter new markets Reduce costs Find new customers Sustainable practices Acquisitions/mergers

this year with some analysts hinting that the situation will not stabilise until the beginning of 2024.

Steeply rising energy costs are an issue for the vast majority (81.09%) and 48.26% are fretting about the state of the British economy, an anxiety they share with chancellor of the exchequer.

If it’s any comfort, the investment bank Goldman Sachs says the British economy could return to some kind of normality next year. The caveat there being that by ‘normal’, Goldman Sachs means anaemic growth. The risk of a recession in the US, still one of the engines of the global econ-

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55.72% 14.93% 11.44% 6.97% 6.47% 4.48%

omy, is a cause for concern too.

On a more upbeat note, it is encouraging that 14.93% say one of their greatest problems is retaining or recruiting staff. It was hard to gauge the level of enthusiasm within the industry for Brexit when the referendum was held six years ago but few now seem to regard it as a cause for celebration - only 6.97% expect it to have a positive impact while 40.80% say it will hurt their business in the medium- to long-term. Whether this change in geopolitical strategy will pay off for UK Plc in the long-term remains a moot point.

The 2022 Widthwise survey does sug-

gest that the triple whammy of pandemic, lockdowns and economic shocks has prompted many PSPs to reappraise their business. In last year’s report, 45.64% of respondents said they had restructured their operations. In the latest survey, more than one in four (27.36%) have done the same, while 26.37% researched new markets and 24.88% offered new print solutions. The priority next year is improving workflow - the principal target for nearly one in two (49.25%) PSPs. That change of focus suggests that the industry may be getting back to something approaching stability.

Widthwise 2022

The cliche ‘the new normal’ is less popular than it was this time last year, partly because we have belatedly recognised that we don’t know how much of what we are experiencing is genuinely new or, indeed, what is - and will be - normal. That said, it appears that, for the foreseeable future, the new normal in the wide-format industry in the UK and Ireland is to keep your powder dry when it comes to investment.

Although 66.17% of respondents expect the market to grow over the next two years - with 9.45% believing it will shrink 58.21% do not plan to buy a new wide-format digital printer in the next two years.

In part, this is an understandable

response to chronic uncertainty about the UK’s economic prospects, but it also reflects an industry-wide consensus that there is no technological breakthrough on the horizon that will provide them with a compelling competitive advantage. If anything, the spur for capital investment may be sustainability. This cautious attitude may frustrate suppliers but, in the circumstances, it is perfectly understandable. The business cliche that if you stand still you’re dead is overhyped. Making bad decisions quickly is not a recipe for success. The volatility of the present market is reflected in the fact that 21.89% of PSPs said that speed of turnaround was their customers’

top priority, more important than service (11.44%) and not far behind price and quality (30.35%).

Although an enterprising minority of wide-format printers are exploring new markets and new applications, the industry’s core markets have remained pretty constant over the years - 86.57% of those surveyed produce general, flags, banners and signage, while 81.59% supply exhibition graphics and signage and 55.72% make posters. One of the more intriguing shifts is that more printers are now involved in transport graphics (32.84%) than retail signage and POS (27.36%).

It is hard to know whether this is a blip,

Q11. Have you made any of these strategic changes within the past year?

Restructured the business Researched new markets Offered new print applications Improved workflow efficiencies Invested in e-commerce Offered new non-print services None of the above

27.36% 26.37% 24.88% 21.89% 12.44% 8.46% 30.35%

Q12. Do you plan to make any of these strategic changes within the next two years?

Improve workflow efficiencies Offer new print applications Research new markets Invest in e-commerce Restructure the business Offered other new non-print services None of the above

49.25% 17.41% 16.42% 13.93% 11.44% 9.45% 15.92%

Q13. Over the next two years do you expect the UK’s wide-format print market to…

Grow Stay the same Shrink

66.17% 24.38% 9.45%

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Widthwise 2022

Q14. What do you think your clients’ main priorities are? (rank 1-7, 1 being the most important) Price Quality Speed of turnaround Service Environmental issues Latest technology Installation

30.35% 30.35% 21.89% 11.44% 4.98% 1% 0%

Q15. What are your three biggest concerns for the business in 2022 and beyond?

Cost of print supplies Energy costs The UK economy Cashflow Print prices Staff recruitment/retention Environmental regulation New entrants to wide-format market Covid/Further lockdowns

88.56% 81.09% 48.26% 32.84% 22.89% 14.93% 5.97% 3.48% 1.99%

Q16. Have you experienced supply chain disruption to your business over the last year?

79.60%

Yes No

20.40%

Q17. Do you think, in the medium to long term, that Brexit will prove…

Have little impact Bad for your business Good for your business

reflecting the travails of the retail sector during the pandemic and lockdowns or an enduring trend.

Supplying different kinds of print to the retail sector is the most important source of business for 30.35% of respondents and it is possible that, when inflation drops from its current historically high level, there will be more growth to come in this market. Shops were collateral damage during lockdowns - as, for that matter, were exhibitions - and it is estimated that, for example, more than 8,700 chain

52.24% 40.80% 6.97%

stores closed in 2021. The rate of closures has since slowed but some well-known names - such as H&M and HMV - are still shutting outlets which may diminish the sector’s appetite for print.

The wide-format sector’s optimism about the future may boil down to a belief that, after the existential crises of the past two years, the only way is up. After a period when it was impossible to look even days into the future, it is now possible for PSPs to begin to plan, albeit cautiously and in the sure and certain knowledge that

there will be further shocks ahead.

It was, after all, less than a decade ago when many print companies began to worry that print would be completely replaced by the screen. That fear has diminished somewhat, especially with some media commentators talking of a ‘digital fatigue’. The situation the British wide-format sector finds itself in today could best be described as serious but not hopeless - and for that, after all the recent turbulence, many print service providers will be profoundly grateful.

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Widthwise 2022

PSPs moving on How do you take your business forward in the current market?

Here two print service providers outline their strategic thinking.

I

think it’s safe to say that most print businesses were adversely affected during the pandemic, so it is no surprise that growing turnover and/or profitability back to pre-pandemic levels is high on the agenda at our monthly board meetings here at KGK Genix, where we’re focusing on strategies to achieve just that,” outlines KGK Genix group managing director Graham Pitts.

“Let’s start with employee retention after all, your staff is your greatest asset.

Recognition is essential to retaining and engaging employees - they all want to feel that they belong in the workplace.

Our monthly newsletter features a ‘Get to Know Your Colleague’ article, provides employee feedback channels and allows for the nomination of an ‘Employee of the Month’ who receives a monetary reward in

By switching to alternative materials, minimising waste, changing to LED lighting and shifting to electric vehicles we have managed to reduce costs and thereby slightly increase profitability recognition for being selected.

“Then there’s our focus on sustainability - no longer a ‘buzz word’ without intent or meaning. Companies large and small are concentrating on how they can be kinder to the environment by minimising waste, reducing CO2 footprint and multiple use of their previously ‘single use’ display items. It is for this very reason that we used the available time we

Graham Pitts, Group MD, KGK Genix had during the pandemic to forge new relationships with suppliers and actively seek a replacement for many of our ‘core materials’ to ensure we had sustainable alternatives. This is certainly impacting sales in a positive way, with companies increasingly insisting on being as ‘green’ as possible. By being able to offer a sustainable alternative in most scenarios, we are finding ourselves able to develop our extensive client base.

“However, we have asked ourselves, do we really need more clients? Hand in hand with that we’ve asked whether we’re offering all of our services to all of our existing clients?

At KGK Genix we strive to keep abreast of innovation in our particular area of the printing industry and regularly pass on new ideas to our existing clients so that they remain up to date and informed of any new process/strategy that we are able to provide.

“Internally we’re always looking at sales development. During our regular sales meetings we identify prospective clients and then look to support the ‘pitch’ depending on the opportunity. It could be some conceptual ideas or samples.

However, we are finding that clients don’t just want to be presented with a sample

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box containing a vast array of different materials - they want more than just a print solution, preferring to engage a creative company that can deliver everything they need with minimal ‘touchpoints’ and different suppliers. KGK Genix works hard on being able to provide the complete solution from concept through to production and installation.

“We’ve all learned from the pandemic that we need to think on our feet in times of peril. Considering ways to use existing machinery to produce something different and break into a new market whilst still offering and servicing your standard industries is always beneficial. This is something that KGK Genix has managed to achieve, resulting in an increase in our client portfolio.

“We realise that keeping on top of the latest technological advancements is vital to the success and continuance of the business. KGK Genix has recently invested in a Vutek H5, which not only speeds up our production but also offers the option of multilayer, tactile prints. This is a service we haven’t previously been able to offer and is a great discussion point with existing and new clients alike.

“We have also continued to invest in our marketing strategy by engaging the services of an experienced marketer specific to our sector, which has resulted in the company securing projects in areas we may not otherwise have ventured into.

“Let’s also accept that we need to look at reducing costs, difficult to achieve given that inflation is rising. With a mixture of Brexit, Covid lockdowns slowing production and the problems in Eastern Europe, a considerable amount of the materials we buy are in short supply and increasing in price. However, by switching to alternative materials, minimising waste, changing to LED lighting and shifting to electric vehicles we have managed to reduce costs and thereby slightly increase profitability.

“At KGK Genix we are excited for the future and look forward to embracing new technology and initiatives to take us forward.”

Widthwise 2022

A

t the end of May 2022, Swedish group Mindelon AB secured the acquisition of Astley, enabling what is one of the UK’s leading signage, print and graphic companies - with clients such as Sainsbury’s, The Co-op, Phillips 66 and Greggs - to move forward in terms of growth and development.

To set the scene - Mindelon’s strategy is to acquire high-quality companies with a professional management in place and, preferably, with an already strong position in a distinct and interesting market niche. The group sees itself as an ‘eternal’ owner with a long-term investment horizon and, as such, entrusts the companies it has acquired to manage their own operations. Securing businesses like Astley means adding new products and suppliers, broadening the customer base, opening up new market niches and, not least, bringing in new skills and energy.

Mindelon’s decentralised business model puts considerable weight on maintaining the entrepreneurial spirit and decision-making strengths in the companies it buys. At the same time, as a financially stable, committed, long-term owner, it is able to offer a broad international network, structural support and skills and tools for continued business development.

For Astley, the acquisition means its operations in the UK remain as they were pre-acquisition, with two manufacturing facilities - Gateshead and Kettering - and a further two distribution sites in Glasgow and Leeds. But over the next few years, the company has big plans to move forward, with the introduction of more innovative, creative and sustainable solutions.

Managing director Gavin Redhead says: “Our industry is in a constant state of flux at the moment, responding not only to the pandemic and now the situation in Ukraine, but also the massive changes on the high street. It isn’t about

investment in health and safety.

“The new support from Mindelon means that we can invest in expanding our current offer, enhancing our provision and potentially look at new ways to respond to the latest trends too. We lead the way in our sector with our creative production service for example, that supports designers, brand agencies and

Gavin Redhead, MD, Astley us simply installing branded aluminium panels on shopfronts anymore, it’s about creating environments and spaces that brands communicate through with their customers.

“As part of a wider retail group now, we can look at the next few years as an exciting period of development - identifying areas for potential collaboration but with the autonomy to still carve our own future. We’re confident that our own strategy for growth into new markets will take us where we believe we should be, leading the way in our sector.

“As part of Mindelon we also now have an enhanced purchasing power which means we can look to secure the best costs from our supply chain which will ultimately benefit our clients and ensure we are competitive when tendering for work. It’s a very competitive market and we have to support clients by working as efficiently as possible, but we also believe that our clients understand the value of our accreditations, VE expertise and our

As part of a wider retail group now, we can look at the next few years as an exciting period of development - identifying areas for potential collaboration but with the autonomy to still carve our own future architects with the translation of their concepts into physical spaces using a range of mixed media. It’s a niche service but one that really compliments our core signage and print capabilities.

“Sustainable print and production solutions - as demonstrated in the latest Co-op ‘eco’ concept stores - is also a huge focus for us. We continue to be seen as the ‘go to’ supplier for the implementation of more environmentally friendly schemes, and through our excellent supplier relationships and now enhanced purchasing power as part of a wider group, we believe clients have access to industry-leading solutions on sustainable brand implementation.

“In summary, it’s an incredibly exciting time for Astley and we’re all looking forward to seeing the company develop over the next few years.”

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Sponsored feature: Antalis

Finding new solutions to new challenges – Antalis is here to support

The large format digital inkjet print market offers opportunities as new demands, trends and, increasingly, new sectors look to take advantage of the capabilities of this technology. The growth is being aided by new media as more sustainable options become available. New sectors, personalisation and end uses are providing further opportunities for large format print businesses.

C

hris Green, Director of Visual Communications at Antalis looks at the issues the industry is facing and how Antalis is providing real solutions.

NEW SUSTAINABLE OPTIONS FROM ANTALIS At Antalis, we have been rapidly growing our range of digitally printable display substrates that form part of our Green Star System™, a framework that considers how each printable material and substrate is produced and how easily it can be recycled to meet the growing demand from the display sector and other industries.

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In 2021, Antalis outlined its sustainability commitment that aims for 75% of all visual communications products sold to be rated Green Star 3 or higher by 2030.

Antalis’ Green Star System™ makes it easy to identify sustainable products and helps clients to move towards easier-to-recycle and ultimately recycled materials. The system considers two key factors – raw materials used, and recyclability at end of life, attributing a rating from zero to the most sustainable options achieving five stars.

The ‘raw material’ element of the framework categorises products by their origin into either fossil fuels (hydrocarbons that are not derived from plant sources) at the lower end of the scale, to renewable

and biosourced materials (plant-based), through to recycled materials at the top end of the framework. The ‘life cycle’ axis then classifies whether products are unable to be recycled due to their composition, through to products that have high recyclability such as paper-based and single material polymers like polypropylene.

This year Antalis has increased its portfolio of PVC-free materials to help our customers use visual communication products that are kinder to the environment. New PVC-free alternative products with a Green Star rating of 3, or higher, recently added to our digital range include: Exten Opaque Polypropylene (Green Star rating: 3) is a PVC-free alternative that is 35% lighter than PVC equivalents, it is 100% recyclable and at end of life can be burnt without risk of toxic emissions. The products are coated in a unique primer that extends shelf life beyond that of standard corona treated polypropylene; it also offers significantly greater opacity, making it suitable for two-sided digital printing.

Mondo PET-GAG (Green Star rating: 4) is a range of high quality, clear polyester sheets, that offer an environmentally

Sponsored feature: Antalis

of films to ‘upcycle’ tired surfaces, without the need to refit or replace existing assets.

The Coala range of films, is a specialist brand for large format print that celebrated its 10th anniversary this year! Coala has a catalogue of approximately 200 products including papers, films, adhesives and textiles, offering a comprehensive range which is renowned for quality throughout Europe. The Coala portfolio offers interior decoration which perfectly meets the needs of architects and interior designers. These include Coala Interior Film, a range of self-adhesives with aesthetic effects that are available in more than 450 finishes for covering walls, doors and furniture.

Launched this year is the new Coala Windows Décor, a range of decorative films for glass – this market is certainly on the up as designers look to add creativity to glass and/ or to create a decorative privacy screen.

friendly alternative to thin-gauge PVC. The sheet is made up of three layers: two G-PET outer layers and an 85% post-consumer waste recycled PET inner layer. It is 100% recyclable and chemically inert. The premium surface of Mondo PET-GAG is ideal for digital printing, die-cutting and finishing.

Coala Paper Stick (Green Star rating: 3) is an eco-friendly self-adhesive for shortterm, indoor applications that is an ideal alterative to PVC vinyl and plastic alternatives made from PP and other polyolefins.

It’s actually made from FSC® certified paper and also features a water-based acrylic repositionable adhesive, available in permanent and removable options.

Taking sustainability further through carbon offsetting. We can also support businesses wanting to take further steps towards sustainable practices by carbon offsetting the unavoidable carbon dioxide emissions generated in manufacture. ALL

WHAT’S NEXT FOR ANTALIS? – NEW TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES FOR OUR CUSTOMERS New and refreshed training courses including vehicle wrapping are planned for later this year in the new and updated Antalis Academy.

Antalis has recently invested in the car wrapping market by enhancing our product offering in this area. Antalis announced its exclusive sponsorship of the Global Car Wrapper Awards 2022 (GCWA) earlier this year which is a live global showcase of wrap installers’ work, offering the perfect opportunity for vehicle wrappers to show, and share, their expertise without limitations of distance, time zones or years of experience.

Our new training courses and commitment to contributing to a vibrant print and installation community can help customers to further strengthen and extend their own knowledge and offering to their end clients.

Antalis’ products purchased from across our visual communications ranges can be carbon offset with credits purchased helping to fund projects with our leading partners in the UK and worldwide.

Waste management is one of the biggest challenges at ‘end of life’. At Antalis we are keen to support companies interested in improving their waste hierarchy practices. We work alongside a leading waste management services provider, to help businesses understand and work through some of the challenges around recycling volumes and segregation of materials.

THE RISE IN INTERIOR DÉCOR There is no doubt of an increase in the use of materials for internal décor as offices, business, retail and increasingly consumers, look to refresh, update and revitalise interior spaces. Antalis is further helping to support this sector and encouraging the use

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Widthwise 2022

What the data tells us: Technological outlook

W

hat do you want from your technology? Some wide-format print companies in the UK and Ireland are happy as long as their machines hardly ever break down. Others see technology as a driver of innovation, which can help them

develop bespoke - and therefore valuable - applications and products for their customers. Many, perhaps even the majority, fall somewhere in between - they try to keep a track on the key trends but don’t necessarily want to push the envelope either by becoming early adopters or investing too heavily in it.

Every sizeable investment by a print

service provider (PSP) is, to some extent, a declaration of faith in the future. In the past two years, such faith has been scarce. With pandemics and lockdowns making future business impossible to gauge, many printers have kept their capital investments to a minimum. The only external incentive for companies to spend was the availability of cheap finance but with the market becom-

Q18. What type of wide-format equipment do you own (mark all relevant) Solvent printer (inc. eco solvent) Latex printer UV curable flatbed printer Aqueous printer Finishing – laminator Finishing – contour cutter UV curable roll-to-roll printer UV curable hybrid printer Finishing – straight line cutter Dye-sublimation Print and cut roll-fed printer Finishing – specialist textile (eyelet maker etc) Inkjet 3D object printer

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53.23% 31.34% 28.36% 25.87% 23.88% 22.89% 17.41% 14.93% 11.94% 8.96% 4.98% 4.48% 1.49%

Widthwise 2022

Q19. How much are you expecting to invest in new hardware/ software across your business in 2022 compared to 2021?

Less More About the same

58.21% 32.34% 9.45%

Q20. In total, how much do you expect to invest in wide-format technology over the next 2 years?

Less than £20,000 £20,000 - £74,999 £75,000 - £149,999 £250,000 - £1m £150 - £249,999 Over £1m

69.65% 15.42% 5.97% 4.98% 2.99% 1%

Q21. Do you expect to buy a new digital wide-format printer in the next 2 years?

No Yes Not sure

58.21% 23.88% 17.91%

Q22. If yes, which type of digital wide-format printer do you expect to buy?

UV curable flatbed printer Latex printer Solvent printer (inc. eco solvent) UV curable hybrid printer UV curable roll-to-roll printer Aqueous printer Dye-sublimation Print and cut roll-fed printer

30.61% 20.41% 18.37% 18.37% 16.33% 14.29% 4.08% 2.04%

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Widthwise 2022

ing so dysfunctional, that wasn’t enough to sway many wide-format printers.

In last year’s Widthwise survey, 50.26% of respondents said they did not intend to buy a printer in the next two years and 32.82% planned to make no capital investment over the same period. It should come as no surprise then that the results of the 2022 survey suggest that the machines that do the bulk of the work for the wide-format print industry haven’t changed that much - more than half of respondents (53.22%) own solvent printers (including eco-solvent), 31.34% run latex printers, 28.36% have UV curable flatbed printers and 25.87% use aqueous printers. 17.41% own a UV curable roll-to-roll printer and 14.93% have a UV

curable hybrid printer. There is a similar continuity at the other end of the printing process with laminators (23.89%) and contour cutters (22.89%) the most widely used types of finishing equipment.

Looking ahead, almost six out of ten (58.21%) of PSPs expect to invest less over the next two years than they did in the past two. That said, a significant minority of 32.34% say they intend to spend more. Even the more bullish businesses are not exactly splashing the cash, with 69.65% saying they will invest less than £20,000. The proportion of companies that do not anticipate buying a printer in the next two years is 58.21%, even higher than this time last year, after one of the most challenging times

in the industry’s history. Less than one in four (23.88%) are in the market for a new printer and 30.61% of these want to buy a UV curable flatbed - this is a significant shift from the 2021 survey when no printer planned to acquire this kind of machine.

Lower down the industry’s shopping list this year are latex printers (20.45%), solvent printers and UV curable hybrid printers (both 18.37%).

As we saw in 2021, almost eight out of ten companies (79.10%) do not plan to invest in software or finishing equipment. The minority looking to spend in these areas are most likely to focus on contour cutters and software for design and workflow. The main motives driving capital investment

Q23. Do you expect to invest in any of the following for wide-format in the next 2 years?

Finishing – contour cutter Software – workflow Software – design Finishing – laminator Software – MIS Software – Web-to-print Finishing – specialist textile (eyelet maker etc) Software – versioning/VDP Finishing – straight line cutter None of the above

6.47% 5.97% 5.47% 3.98% 3.48% 2.99% 1% 0.5% 0.5% 79.10%

Q24. What is the rationale behind your technological investment?

To increase capacity To improve efficiency To move into new applications/markets To improve speed of output To enhance print quality

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51.74% 22.89% 15.42% 5.47% 4.48%

Widthwise 2022

Q26. What is the biggest technological issue you face in wide-format?

Consumables (ink and media) reliability Machine reliability Workflow/system integration issues Colour management Other

22.39% 15.42% 14.93% 11.44% 35.82%

Q27. Do you intend to invest in the Internet of Things (eg. automation, AI, remote diagnostics) in the year ahead?

No Don’t Know Yes

are to increase capacity (51.74%), improve efficiency (22.89%) and explore new applications and markets (15.42%).

While the desire to increase capacity is understandable, should capital investment be almost exclusively defined by new printers? Some industry experts worry that this approach is fuelling a unit cost mentality among PSPs and customers in which print becomes a commodity to be bought for the cheapest price. This is hardly the kind of strategy which will help print companies achieve their long-held goal of moving up the food chain and being accepted as partners by their clients, rather than just suppliers.

Versioning software appears to hold little appeal for wide-format printers and even Web-to-print, now a relatively proven technology, is only of interest to 2.99% of respondents. As for management information systems - which have been available for decades and have become more suited to the wide-format sector only 3.48% of those polled are likely to invest in this software.

The idea that data is to the 21st century economy what oil was to the 20th century economy has become a bit of a cliche but, like many cliches, it contains more than a few grains of truth. The results of the

74.63% 19.40% 5.97%

2022 Widthwise survey suggest that many wide-format printers are overlooking a resource that could lubricate their company’s growth.

Wide-format printers could well be holding back on investment because they are broadly happy with the kit they already have. The key technical issues they face are the reliability of consumables, the reliability of their print kit and integrating workflows. Improving workflow is a priority for 22.89% of respondents yet you could argue that many companies, even as they grapple with this issue, are failing to see the bigger picture. Only 5.97% say they plan to invest in the Internet of Things over the next two years and a resounding 74.63% have no plans to do so. As automation, remote diagnostics and process control were such prominent themes at Fespa in Berlin earlier this year, this lack of interest is striking.

Such caution could be caused by the common misapprehension among PSPs that the Internet of Things, automation and remote diagnostics are expensive, all-singing, all-dancing systems that will require a thorough, and therefore time-consuming, overhaul of the business. To seek to automate everything at once would be expensive and risky, which is why so few vendors recommend this approach. Auto-

mation is not an ‘all or nothing’ proposition. Companies can automate individual processes, functions or departments now with reasonable confidence that they can be linked together in future. That way, if the technology fails to deliver, printers have minimised the risk - and the cost.

Research by Vodafone and others suggest that the pandemic spurred adoption of the IoT in the UK, helping to ease the move to smart offices and remote working. This acceleration has been particularly dramatic in some of the wide-format sector’s key markets - for example, nine out of ten British retailers say they now have more IoT projects on the go than they did this time last year. Globally, 29% of organisations say they have invested in this technology. And many of them are not dabbling either - eight out of ten adopters in the UK say that, by the end of this year, IoT will be used to manage the majority of their internal systems.

It would be a terrible irony if an industry such as wide-format, which was created by one technological revolution were to be blindsided and marginalised by another.

The risk is, as we warned in last year’s Widthwise report, that if PSPs don’t get on board soon they could end up being forced to automate by customers, who will be able to dictate their terms.

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Sponsored feature: HP

The 4 wide format application trends you need to know The world has changed, and you need to keep up. Here’s how wide-format printers can stay ahead with new practical applications.

PRINT IN THE MODERN WORLD Print businesses have a chance to push the boundaries of what’s possible with wide-format printing. It’s time to deliver more innovative, useful, and digitally enhanced products that help your clients meet their customers’ demands We’ve put together a selection of the latest print application trends to help inspire your product and service offering. From personalised interior décor to durable vehicle wraps, here are four ways wide-format print is set to make an impact on the world around us—and how you can get involved with practical applications.

TREND 1) DIGITALLY-PRINTED INTERIOR DECORATION Many businesses have seen the recent changes as an opportunity to pivot their offerings. And with that comes the need for a new look.

Many hospitality and retail venues are opting for a more modern aesthetic as they return to in-person service, and that means taking inspiration from 2021’s interior design trends, which include natural textures such as straw and wicker.

Digital printing makes it easy to produce high-margin, individual interior decoration. Thanks to digital printing Print businesses can provide the level of flexibility and customisation to their customers in this high sector

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HP Large Format printing solutions are a great fit for the interior decoration market, providing unique benefits whether you’re a print service provider looking to expand into new high-margin applications like customised projects or canvas; a wallcovering or window blinds manufacturer looking to differentiate with high-end, luxury collections; a designer looking to create an advantage with shorter design-to-manufacturing time; or an interior decorator with a vision for creating experiences through spaces. Thanks to the versatility of HP Latex all of this is possible.

In situations where functionality matters, print providers can offer detailed, faux-textured prints on different wallpaper—delivering similar aesthetics in a more practical material. In addition, printers can infuse their digitally-printed wallpapers with specific properties by using antibacterial and antiviral substrates, and even include performance coatings to enable more frequent washing. This is not only ideal for sensitive applications like hospitals and care facilities, but also helps busy sectors like services and events stay compliant in the more hygiene-conscious post-COVID world. Thanks to these unrivalled customization options and end user benefits, market research consultancy Technavio expects the digitally printed wallpaper market to grow by $4.81 billion between 2021 and 2025.

TREND 2) CAR AND VEHICLE WRAPS Research from the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors shows that the largest cities have lost up to 15% of their urban population. The majority of these movers have decided to relocate to suburban or semi-rural areas, in part due to increased remote working opportunities and lower costs of living.

At the same time, the pandemic has resulted in an explosion of deliveries–both for online shopping and takeout food. The total number of e-commerce deliveries rose by 25% in 2020, according to a study from the World Economic Forum. The report suggests that the pandemic has reshaped last-minute logistics to adapt to this increased demand, and forecasts that our reliance on deliveries is here to stay. To adapt to this new population distribution, businesses are already taking advantage of high-quality vehicle wraps. The global automotive wrap market was valued at $4 billion in 2020 and is set to grow by an average of 22.4% each year until 2028. Your potential customers are taking advantage of these moving billboards to grab attention in suburban areas, helping to make up for the lost footfall in busy urban centres.

A great example for demand in vehicle wrapping shows the Print Service Provider MediaCo who offer a unique range of specialist print services, from wallpapers to racing car livery wraps, working with a wide range of market sectors to produce contemporary exhibition and interior display graphics, sports and live event branding and out-ofhome advertising displays. In the last two years, MediaCo has purchased two HP Latex

Sponsored feature: HP

3600 printers from Papergraphics and one HP Stitch S1000 printer from RA Smart, with a second HP Stitch S1000 device now being considered.

Stephen Arthur, MD of MediaCo states: “The HP Latex machines have been put to work on some astounding projects. We took a strategic decision to add HP water-based printers to our production capabilities which now totals three machines – a trend we see continuing as the print quality and reliability of the machines is excellent and they align perfectly with our sustainability strategy.

HOW WHITE INKS HELP YOU DELIVER BETTER VEHICLE WRAPS The practical applications of vehicle wrapping can vary significantly. While some clients may want the entire exterior covered in graphics, others may prefer a more minimalist approach on their cars and vans. For these, applications, you’ll need more flexibility-especially as over 20% of vehicles in the UK are painted black, which will require printing onto darker substrates. White inks deliver a solid foundation that allows you to print colour-accurate graphics and text onto any colour or tone. Applying a base layer of white ink before your main printing run acts as a blank canvas and means that print providers can now deliver products across a wide range of material colours– helping you deliver better, more versatile vehicle wraps for your customers.

TREND 3 WAYFINDING SIGNAGE With the rise of hybrid working, the expectations of what a physical space should do have completely changed. Online solutions have established themselves as more convenient alternatives for users and consumers. Spaces such as offices, retail, and events need to offer a better user experience to encourage people to return. And that’s where printers can help.

Studies from the Sign Research Foundation show that 60% of businesses improved their sales by an average of 10% after updating their navigation signage.

When we hear the term ‘wayfinding’, many of us think of maps and directional arrows. But with wide-format printing, you can be more creative. Murals and artwork can provide memorable reference points that draw the end user’s attention towards specific locations.

Another fantastic example for focus on Signage is the Print service provid-

er Signbox. Surrey-based architectural signage solutions provider Signbox has praised the role its duo of HP Latex 300 Series printers played in an innovative project that helped the company scoop a host of major honours at the 2021 UK Graphics Awards.

Signbox was tasked with delivering a brand experience to various meeting rooms and areas throughout the new Pernod Ricard UK headquarters at Chiswick Park in West London. Pernod Ricard moved to the 85,000sq ft facility in September 2020 and most of the work was conducted during the Covid-19 lockdown.

The project included a range of 3D lettering and signage alongside of stunning wallpaper backdrops – all of which were printed on Signbox’s HP Latex Series printers. Signbox printed the designs on Digimura wallcovering media, a product selected for its environmental credentials and fire-retardant qualities.

“The HP Latex printers produce firstclass quality print on any job we run, and this was no exception,” Signbox Managing Director Mark Bartlett said. “The HP Latex inks conform so much better to Digimura than other inks; we don’t get the issue of ink sitting on the surface and it doesn’t crack.

TREND 4) QR CODES AND AUGMENTED REALITY As of 2021, 87% of UK adults own a smartphone, according to Statista. We’re more connected to the digital world than ever before. Wide-format printers have an opportunity to bridge the gap and offer their customers smart prints that can seamlessly interact with the technology they carry around with them every day.

QR CODES Integrating QR codes into your printed products can offer an intuitive way for users to unlock new digital experiences. As practical applications of QR codes increase across the world, users are becoming more familiar with how they work. Eightysix percent of smartphone users have scanned a QR Code at least once in their lifetime, and 36.4 % scan at least one code a week. This provides an opportunity for wide-format businesses to integrate digital connectivity into their printed displays.

Large, scannable QR codes are already being used on billboards and advertising displays across the world, and print businesses now have the chance to bring this

same level of digital connectivity to their clients’ signage.

AUGMENTED REALITY (AR) The term ‘augmented reality’ refers to technology that combines virtual displays with the users’ view of the real world.

For printing businesses, AR can be used to superimpose digital information onto physical printed products, helping your customers link their printed media to their digital assets. The global AR and VR market is predicted to grow by 42.9% by 2030, providing an opportunity for wide-format print businesses to expand their services and deliver AR-enabled products.

AR billboards and other large format prints give users the ability to interact with advertisements using their phone. In New York City and Los Angeles, social media app Snapchat has partnered with digital marketing agencies to create interactive printed displays that play videos on your smartphone when scanned with the camera app.

Discover how HP Latex inks and printers can help you bring these ideas to life.

PSPs have been evolving for some time, and the turbulence experienced in 2020 and 2021 only accelerated that change. Many are displaying resilience and creativity, and businesses that will survive and thrive will be the ones that are versatile, connected, sustainable, and safe.

HP can help you take the next step to ensure your print business has the best chance of success in the form of its HP Latex R Series, HP Latex 3600 Printer, HP Latex 700W and 800W printers. The combination of HP Latex printers and HP White Ink ensures you can deliver high-quality, attention-grabbing and sustainable graphics to your end-user customers.

Meet us at the upcoming IPIA conference on September 1st on our HP booth and talk to us about your printing requirements or get in touch via phone with your HP sales representatives who can advise you on the best printer to suit your needs.

Call +44(0)8004084348 or send an email to: andy.white@hp.com Visit the HP Print Hub and explore our online experience with exclusive content, webinars, video and more: https:// digitalprinting.hp.com/uk/en/largeformat-printers.html

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Widthwise 2022

What the suppliers say

Q1

The majority (69.56%) of UK-based wide-format PSPs polled will spend under £20,000 on wideformat technology over the next two years. More than half (58.21%) said they will not buy a new digital wide-format printer in that period. How is that likely to impact your own development, sales and marketing strategies?

Q2

Almost half of the PSPs surveyed said they would be looking to improve workflow efficiencies over the next two years. What is your company doing to help them with this specifically, given investment levels?

Jane Rixon,

Duncan Jefferies,

Large-format production business development manager, HP UK/Ireland

Head of marketing and business development, Hybrid Services (UK/Irish Mimaki distributor)

We introduced new wide-format printing devices during the pandemic and continue to invest millions of dollars in R&D in this area. Post-pandemic, we are taking a hybrid approach to sales and marketing and investing in both face-to-face and virtual events.

We recently had a booth at Fespa and sponsored the Wrap Master event as well as Printeriors, and have also hosted many at our Graphics Experience Centre in Barcelona. We also regularly host virtual events and demonstrations.

Among those print companies looking to invest in a new technology, we have witnessed a huge spike in demand for environmentally friendly print technologies, and we pay a lot of attention to developing more planet-friendly print solutions to add to our current portfolio of large-format machines.

We continue to work on the HP PrintOS family of software products, designed to help users optimise their print operations, automate production and also open new opportunities. In particular, we have committed to the development of HP PrintOS Print Beat, a cloud-based print optimisation solution that delivers historical and near real-time data. It focuses on three key performance indicators - volume, utilisation and maintenance - and provides indepth visibility into production site operations, for one or multiple printers. PSPs can also use PrintOS Print Beat with their HP largeformat printer to gain access to status updates virtually anytime, anywhere, with a dedicated mobile application.

Another solution is the cloud-based HP Application Center, designed to help PSPs and/or their customers create and print professional looking large-format prints with a suite of easy design tools. Thanks to this, PSPs can grow their business with online.

This helped them during the pandemic, particularly when it came to design decoration and signage applications.

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Mimaki is a consistent innovator and wide-format printer launches in the last couple of years have included the 100 Series and the 330 Series.

Each incorporates a common platform and comprises multiple machines featuring alternative ink technologies, which in turn has resulted in six new wide-format solutions being launched with prices ranging from £12,995 to around £25k. This brings most of the new products inside the £20k mark suggested in the survey, but it’s in part the job of the hardware manufacturer to communicate the advantages that investing in new products will bring the company - for example, lower running costs, better efficiency, reduced waste and an improved carbon footprint.

Mimaki continues to put a substantial focus on delivering products that help improve workflow efficiencies, with a perfect example being the JV330 and CJV330 - new 1.6m solvent wide-format printer and printer/ cutter respectively. Both feature core technologies designed to minimise operator intervention, reduce waste and downtime and increase output quality. To feature on a pair of production printers that currently retail at under £25k delivers a significant level of technology for the investment.

Widthwise 2022

The Widthwise survey threw up some interesting data that begged consideration and comment from t TFDUPSōT LJU NBOVGBDUVSFST 8F BQQSPBDIFE ţWF DPNQBOJFT GPS UIFJS JOQVU Ŋ IFSF BSF UIFJS SFTQPOTFT

Paul Fitch,

Derek Joys,

Carmen Eicher,

Sales manager UK and Ireland, Agfa (UK)

Product manager, digital printing and solutions, Canon UK/Ireland

Chief sales and marketing officer, swissQprint

After two years with a lot of uncertainty, we understand very well that companies are hesitant at first to think in terms of high investments. But we also recognise that there is a growing trend where companies need to take the next step in their business. And that’s where we as Agfa are present, offering solutions that are tailored to customers’ needs.

Whilst the industry has been hit by challenges in recent years, we haven’t seen any significant impact in demand for our wide-format printers. Instead, we have been innovating in this area. With many digitally fatigued customers seeking out brighter colours, personalisation and prints on unusual substrates, our devices can support our customers to address this need and help them to boost their profits.

Our equipment is generally on a higher price level than that £20,000 mark that Widthwise respondents say they will spend under. Fortunately, this finding has not been reflected in our price range. Our potential clients seem to have strong order books and we not only had a strong first six months but also a promising portfolio for the rest of 2022.

Our workflow solution Asanti works in a modular way, thus can be adapted to a company’s needs. We are in regular exchange with our customers as also the service part is within Agfa. Our Inkjet System Specialists (ISS) do not only set-up the workflow but also help in optimising it.

We work collaboratively with our customers to help them improve their workflow management, supporting them with the right technology to deliver faster turnaround times, shorter lead times and cost efficiencies. We can also offer our customers Prisma, a print workflow automation and print production tool which helps to increase flexibility, efficiency, and performance across print operations.

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Widthwise 2022

What the suppliers say Jane Rixon, Large-format production business development manager, HP UK/Ireland

Duncan Jefferies, Head of marketing and business development, Hybrid Services (UK/Irish Mimaki distributor)

Q3

We have not encountered any major issues with our supply chain in the last 12 months. We put this down primarily to long-term relationships with our suppliers. We have also worked closely with our customers to try and give an accurate forecast to our global business unit to ensure we have a continuous and reliable supply of machines, consumables and spares. With the technology built into the devices we can analyse big data to help with our forecasting too. The only disruption of note up to now has been driven by post-Brexit complexities of importing goods.

Supply chain disruption is affecting every industry. At Hybrid, we have increased our stock holding of both hardware and inks and we work closely with Mimaki on logistics and production scheduling to minimise impact wherever we’re able.

Q4

We could talk on and on about the different sustainability programmes HP is driving, hence we are currently working on a sustainability whitepaper in cooperation with Image Reports that will cover all of HPs environmental efforts. The new HP Sustainable Impact Report 2021, sets out in full our commitment to the environment and the many ways HP is working to not only become a greener business itself, but to also help its customers become more environmentally friendly.

Mimaki’s product line-up incorporates an increasing number of lowenergy usage LED UV printers and these are popular solutions with PSPs. A requirement to print to non-PVC based substrates is also something we’re more frequently responding to and printers like the UJV100-160 will take it in its stride.

More than two-thirds of UK-based large-format PSPs said they have experienced supply chain disruption over the last year. What are you doing to improve the situation?

A massive 91.04% said it is more important for their company to be seen as environmentally friendly than it was two years ago. Given that, have you noticed any change in the questions you are being asked as a supplier, and are you in a better position to respond more fully?

Q5

Professional large-format printers here in the UK are still not putting much onus on textile printing - 7.46% are now printing for garments, 4.48% for banners/flags, and 1% for home/interiors. Is there a realisation among inkjet suppliers that it’s not a suitable investment for this sector?

Schemes to help customers with their green goals include the HP Planet Partners programme that allows HP users to recycle HP ink and HP printheads via an easy process, and the HP Amplify impact programme, which allows members to tap into HP’s extensive knowledge, training and resources to assess and improve their own sustainability performance, while optimising sustainability-driven sales opportunities.

We are seeing plenty of movement in the area that suggests textile printing remains an attractive prospect for PSPs in the UK and across the wider print industry as they seek to grow their business by moving into new and profitable markets.

We must consider that this part of the market was significantly impacted during the pandemic. Events and exhibitions did not take place, theatres and shopping centres were closed so the demand for soft signage etc dropped. Recently, we have seen business start to return in this area and at HP we experienced our most successful quarter ever in terms of sales of our 3.2m dyesublimation machines globally.

Outdoor events are on the increase and some people are still more comfortable in an outdoor setting, so we expect demand to increase.

With HP Latex and dye sublimation HP is particularly well placed to satisfy demand in this sector.

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Where customers require a solvent printer - and these remain hugely popular - Hybrid offers a rebate linked solvent cartridge recycling scheme. In place since 2008, Let’s Do More not only rewards print companies with an ink rebate but takes away the need for them to manage their waste ink cartridges, with Hybrid handling (and paying for) every aspect of their disposal and recycling.

Whilst your survey suggests that large-format print service providers are slow to adopt textile printing, we continue to see growth in the textile sector - with dye-sublimation solutions including the sub £10k TS100-1600 being well received by the market in recent months. The Tx300P-1800 ‘hybrid’ textile printer also remains a popular model, with its ability to print to transfer paper and onto fabric on the one machine affording great flexibility for PSPs. With the requirement for personalised textiles still high after the significant demand seen during lockdown, large-format print companies with fabric printing capabilities continue to take advantage of consumer desire.

Widthwise 2022

Paul Fitch, Sales manager UK and Ireland, Agfa (UK)

Derek Joys, Product manager, digital printing and solutions, Canon UK/Ireland

Carmen Eicher, Chief sales and marketing officer, swissQprint

We have had no impacts in terms of manufacturing - the impact has come from shipping delays, as for most other companies. In these situations you need to set the right expectation to customer and not over promise on what is out of your control.

The pandemic demonstrated just how important a resilient supply chain is and, like many manufacturers, we experienced some disruption. During this period we worked continuously to ensure that there was minimal effect on our customers - and that they were equipped, as much as possible to deal with these market challenges.

We have long-standing partnerships with our suppliers, and that has helped a lot. Our suppliers consider us a key customer. When required, we try and find solutions and options together to ensure continuity. Nevertheless, we have stocked up, and so have our main suppliers. Our procuring department monitors delivery times closely and reacts early.

All in all, we have been able to deliver all printers ordered on time. Also, we have kept ink supply flowing at all times.

Yes, It’s the topic of conversation. Agfa as a company is making huge progress from a sustainability standpoint.

This goes right the way through the company, not just on our wide-format printing machine.

Sustainability is becoming an even bigger priority across all industries, with PSPs adapting their offering in line with the changing needs of customers. This is a key priority for Canon and we have a number of environmentally friendly solutions available. Our Arizona and Colorado Series are engineered with the circular economy in mind - they have a lifespan of ten years or more and are eligible for remanufacturing after their first lifetime.

It is true that some years back only few would ask any questions on the ecological footprint of printing equipment.

Today, this is a key factor when evaluating new printers and sustainable production is part of the mission and strategy for a great number of our customers. They hence choose their equipment and partners accordingly.

At swissQprint, we have focussed on sustainability for many years. Our Greentech approach summarises that.

Additionally, our UV and UVgel ink technologies are designed to have minimal environmental and health impacts. The Arizona and Colorado devices come equipped with filters and can be installed and operated without the need for extraction. Radiation and noise emissions are also minimal.

No, they realise this is a suitable investment but the process is different from just laying down UV ink on foamex. You also need the space for finishing. Agfa sees this as a growth area, hence the investment into the new Avinci CX3200. This covers all application from home décor, flags and retail application. Being able to print direct to material and paper opens up more applications.

Canon does not manufacture specialist devices for the textile industry, however, our technology is increasingly being used to create products for interior decoration such as digital wallpaper and murals. The Colorado 1650 with UVgel technology is a perfect fit for digital wallpaper printing, offering odourless prints that combine a very rich colour gamut with a velvety matte finish, which is preferred by many interior décor specialists. Prints are instantly dry and are extremely robust. The Colorado also secures the colour consistency and dimensional stability of output.

These are three quite different markets and not all of them are suited for the technology we offer. We have made some great inroad with home/interior décor customers and see good potential for us in the years to come.

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Sponsored feature: Premier Paper

Premier Service for Better Business: how UK merchant Premier constantly adapts to support their customer base

To say it has been a particularly turbulent two or three years would be an understatement. Almost all industries and households have been impacted by the pandemic, rising fuel and energy costs as well as the economic uncertainty brought about by Brexit. Despite all of this Premier have constantly sought out ways to improve their ability to service and support their customers’ needs.

B

ack in March of this year, at the Sign & Digital UK exhibition, Premier showcased an interesting stand.

At face value it was an undeniably eye-catching, ‘Back to the Future’ themed stand with plenty of printed samples and demonstrations. Behind the visuals though, the core message that was being pushed by Premier was an important, positive one. It

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was aimed at helping businesses not only return to normal but to excel; getting ‘Back to the Future’.

Strategic Investment From acquisitions to portfolio diversification, strategic investments can of course relate to a great number of developments but ultimately it comes down to the same goals; careful, well thought out commercial enhancements.

Premier take this one step further, a driving force behind the merchant’s investments are the everchanging needs of their customer base; one recent example is the acquisition of a new site close to the M1 in Wellingborough.

This brand-new facility features a 45,000 square foot warehouse that has a capacity of over 4,000 pallets with dedicated stocks of wide format rolls, display sheet media and commodity paper grades. This new site is strategically located to improve and enhance Premier’s ability to service customers both locally and around the UK. Conversion is another area that has seen investment by Premier, with a centralised conversion facility that is dedicated to cutting down material for the sign and display market. Machines such as the Schelling FK6 plastic and composite panel saw, a Cauhe GH 366 heavy-duty guillotine and the semi-automated, wall mounted

Sponsored feature: Premier Paper

Streibig Saw, increase Premier’s capabilities to precision cut materials such as Plexiglas, Foamalux and Etalbond; with a fast and efficient turnaround, all from under one roof.

Product Choice Maintaining a product portfolio is an important process for any business. Developing their portfolio and ensuring that their products adhere to the ever-changing market requirements is something that Premier do quite well; at the start of the pandemic, Premier were very quick enhance their product offering with PPE solutions in a bid to help keep their customer and their clients running.

Sustainability remains a growing trend and is a big focus of Premier’s. They have been actively increasing their rigid substrate portfolio, whilst at the same time investigating new, cost effective materials that meet high environmental standards.

For example, the growing issues with the production and recycling of PVC based products has meant that there are increased environmental implications. As such Premier have set about to offer a more sustainable choice to their customers and their clients. New additions to the Premier range such as eTEC PVC-free self-adhesive polypropylene film, features a water-based adhesive that is free of volatile organic compounds (VOC), provide an ideal, PVCfree alternative.

The introduction of the fully recyclable, honey combe centred Ultraboard range has proven to be a popular display sheet media amongst Premier’s customer base. Not only

do the sheets carry impeccable environmental credentials, their unique and innovative design provide printers and sign makers with the ability to produce some truly eye-catching point of sale displays, exhibition stands and so much more; at a time when businesses are seeking new ways to differentiate themselves from their competitors.

Premier Service Premier offer a next day and sometimes same day delivery service. Naturally, the merchant has paid close attention to how they can improve the way their products are delivered; subsequently, 20 New vehicles with the latest technology engines, have been added to the merchant’s fleet. Developed and created specifically for Premier

by Dhollandia have a unique ‘double-decker’ style trailer allowing for the safe and reliable distribution of display sheet media and wide format rolls. These new 18 tonne DAF LF230FA models are Euro 6 emissions tested to CAZ regulations, reducing their impact on the environment and improving their fuel efficiency.

ened self-interest whereby an organisation clearly communicates sustainability and social values to build its reputation. If sustainability and cause related values are important to your customers and other stakeholders then it should be a key part of your business.

Almost ten years ago, Premier launched Carbon Capture® an environmental programme that not only provides habitat for wildlife by creating new native woodland here in the UK but also gives participating companies numerous marketing and PR opportunities to communicate their own environmental values; shared values can help to both win and retain business.

Over 600 customers are fully signed up and committed to the cause; from sign makers to printers, local authorities to banks and many other corporate organisations, all directly supporting the creation and maintenance of local native woodland throughout the UK. To date Premier and their customers have raised in excess of £1.4m for the Woodland Trust and have captured over 85,000 tonnes CO2; something that their customers can share with their clients, providing a clear statement regarding their environmental values.

The Carbon Capture® programme is low cost, simple, easy to understand and totally transparent with 100% of the Carbon Capture® amount going directly to the Woodland Trust. There are no deductions for marketing, third party carbon trading companies or management fees. The programme is also highly credible, operated by the Woodland Trust under the UK Government’s Woodland Carbon Code, based on emissions data calculated from approved DEFRA criteria.

More information about Premier, their product offering and service capabilities can be found at www.paper.co.uk.

Sustainable Solutions Sustainability has always been a key focus of Premier’s and this is reflected in the choice of products and services that are offered. As an area of diversification, sustainability can be looked at purely in terms of the environmental impact of product procurement or it can be looked at as part of a wider cause related business strategy.

A cause related business strategy can be described as a strategy based on enlight-

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Widthwise 2022

What the data tells us: Environmental outlook

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here is an often-quoted Chinese cliché that every journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. It would seem, from the results of the 2022 Image Reports Widthwise survey, that Britain’s print service providers (PSPs) have only taken a few steps on the long and winding road to carbon neutrality.

While the survey does suggest that sustainability is high on the industry agenda, there is not a great deal of evidence of the kind of imaginative, innovative thinking that will be required to reach Net Zero by 2050, a target recognised as critical if we are to avoid the catastrophic impacts of climate change.

The wide-format sector’s three key priorities haven’t changed much over the past five years: more than three out of four PSPs (78.61%) are focused on reducing energy consumption and almost as many (77.61%) are looking to reduce and recycle in-house waste. The other most common goals are measuring and reducing carbon footprints (54.71%) and using recyclable materials (54.22%). Encouragingly - both for the industry and the planet - many printers also seem to have moved on from carbon offsetting and are prioritising the monitoring and reduction of emissions.

These are all sound fabulous green goals but, if this has to be the decade we tackle climate change as US president Joe Biden and other world leaders have argued, shouldn’t PSPs be doing more?

It is clear that things are changing.

A growing band of companies, such as MacroArt, are taking responsibility for taking back and recycling their printed waste from customers - but are they changing fast enough?

Perhaps one problem is that many industry executives think that the battle has already been lost - only 27.14% believe that environmental catastrophe can be avoided, while 33.67% say it cannot. Four of ten respondents aren’t sure, an uncertainty shared by many business leaders, politicians and scientists.

In the past, the wide-format sector has complained about the mismatch between what customers say about sustainability and what they actually do. That credibility gap, if you will, persists - 62.19% of PSPs say that few customers enquire about their environmental accreditations, and 5.47% say their clients never ask. Less than one in ten respondents report that most buyers mention the issue.

This must be galling for the vast majority of print companies which, previous Widthwise surveys indicate, have acquired

some kind of environmental credentials There are many possible explanations for customers’ inconsistent attitude: lack of time (especially when Covid was at its peak), lack of interest, lack of budget (many fear that greener options will cost more), lack of experience (many veteran print buyers have been put out to pasture as companies cut costs) and lack of expertise. Even if a customer wants to do the right thing - and increasing number do - it is not always clear which print solution will be kindest to the environment.

Indeed, estimating, managing and reducing carbon emissions becomes more complicated the more ambitious you become, but there are some aids to help educate, inform and influence the customer.

Media suppliers such as Taya, Innotech and Antalis offer different kinds of ‘eco’ calculators, and printers can share their own policies and practices with clients especially if, for instance, they use take back and recycle schemes.

Encouragingly, in the 2022 survey, more than nine out of ten (91.04%) printers say being seen to be environmentally friendly is more important than it was two years ago.

That is a significant jump since 2021 when 70.77% said the same.

There is plenty of anecdotal evidence from past Widthwise round table discussions

Q28. Do you think the world can avoid catastrophic climate change?

Don’t know No Yes

39.20% 33.67% 27.14%

Q29. What are your three top environmental priorities over the next two years?

Reduce energy consumption Reduce/recycle in-house waste Measure/reduce carbon footprint Use more recycled/recyclable materials ‘Upsell’ end print solutions that are recyclable Improve in-house energy generation Provide a takeback/recycle scheme

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78.61% 77.61% 54.71% 54.22% 23.38% 8.46% 2.98%

Widthwise 2022

Q30. How important is it for your company to be seen as environmentally friendly?

More important than 2 years ago No shift – important No shift – not important Less important than 2 years ago

91.04% 6.47% 1.99% 0.50%

Q31. Do clients ask for your environmental credentials/policies?

Few Around 50/50 Most None

62.19% 24.88% 7.46% 5.47%

Q32. Over the last year has your use of recycled/recyclable print materials…

Increased No change Decreased

that printers recognise the importance of this issue for their employers, particularly younger staff. The days when management could convince the workforce that they were eco-conscious by trumpeting reductions in the use of water, paper and electricity are long gone. One print chief admitted to feeling guilty about the amount of hard-torecycle material in his warehouse, worrying about the legacy it would leave behind for his children and grandchildren.

The will is there even if, in the past two years, businesses have had to focus on such critical matters as finance, cashflow and new patterns of work. In that respect, it is heartening to note that 62.19% of respondents say they have increased their use of recyclable and reusable materials over the past year. Given the disruption caused by pandemic lockdowns over that period, that is a creditable achievement. It is also encouraging that 23.38% of respondents are trying to upsell more reusable and recyclable solutions to clients.

62.19% 37.81% 0%

Given the prevailing uncertainty about the UK’s economic prospects, many printers may be tempted to shy away from more innovative sustainable policies. The 2022 Widthwise survey shows, for example, that only a minority - 8.46% - are seriously looking at generating clean energy in-house and an even smaller number - 2.98% - are focusing on taking printed waste back from customers and recycling it.

This is not to underestimate either of these challenges. There is, at least, a wealth of expert advice printers can access to use cleaner energy. It is also an initiative that individual businesses can implement independently and look forward, over time, to reducing emissions and costs (no small consideration, given the sudden jump in - and unpredictable outlook for - energy prices).

The reclaiming and recycling of waste from customers is a much more complex challenge, requiring broader cooperation and collaboration. As Michael Green, managing director of MacroArt, remarked

in a recent edition of Image Reports, if the industry is to recover all its waste from customers it will require “every single player, in every single sector, within our industry to work together”.

Even after a tipping point on waste reclamation has been reached, it may take years to get everyone on board. In the meantime, PSPs can make their business greener simply by agreeing recycling levels in their contracts with customers. That kind of approach can also generate momentum on the bigger issue as clients begin to develop effective closed-loop waste systems of their own.

The British wide-format industry is certainly heading in the right direction when it comes to the fight against climate change. Yet with an increasing number of its customers publicly making Net Zero pledges - even if the details as to how these promises will be implemented are sometimes a bit sketchy - print companies perceived to be dragging their feet on global warming are likely to feel the heat from clients - and their own staff.

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Sponsored feature: Agfa

Think Print. Think Agfa.

A perfect fit: Agfa’s Anapurna family

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hinking of investing in wide-format? Make sure you choose a solution that allows you to produce bestin-class quality at the lowest ink costs on every copy, for every job, every time.

Agfa is known as a solution provider – combining all offerings: software, press and ink. With their research and development teams, together with their customers, Agfa always aims to adapt their products to the needs of the markets. The presses of the Anapurna family offer a perfect range of possibilities, allowing you to choose the model that best fits your needs.

Anapurna hybrid The wide-format hybrid Anapurna LED series is a perfect fit for sign shops, digital printers, photo labs and mid-size graphic screen printers that want to combine board and roll-to-roll print jobs.

The engines print at a width from 1.65 up to 3.2 m and combine high quality with high productivity for outdoor and indoor, rigid

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and flexible wide-format jobs. The white ink function creates possibilities for printing on transparent material for backlit applications or for printing white as a spot colour. Go for the optional automatic board feeder to increase your productivity even more.

The hybrid Anapurna LEDs are fitted with air-cooled UV LED lights that save you energy, costs and time. Due to their minimal energy output, these LED lights are ideal for thin heat-sensitive materials.

They also lead to faster operations as they can be switched on and off instantaneously.

Media loading is smooth and accurate thanks to automated features such as the media registration bar and head height adjustment. The automatically controlled vacuum system, consisting of four zones, delivers an equal vacuum during the printing process, whether printing rolls or rigid materials. This ensures flawless media transport, giving accurate print results at all times.

During production the ink levels are monitored by the automatic ink refill system. The ink (re)filling system can be

accessed easily, enabling a spotless refill of your ink containers. The white ink is managed by a fully separate system (circulation, under-pressure regulation and cleaning circuit). The tank containing it is equipped with a stirring mechanism to keep the ink properly mixed at all times.

Anapurna flatbed The Anapurna FB2540i LED is a highspeed UV-curable inkjet system on a moving gantry flatbed. It is an ideal engine for both step-and-repeat work and for printing multiple jobs on differently sized media. Borderless printing avoids an extra finishing step, saving time and money. Thanks to the multilayer printing feature the Anapurna FB2540i LED prints several colour and white ink layers in one run.

This engine delivers high-quality prints on practically any rigid and sheet material.

White ink and six colours with 13 pl print heads allow it to deliver prints that will give you and your customers a competitive advantage. The high-density colour printing function makes prints even brighter and more intense.

Sponsored feature: Agfa

We are on our fourth Anapurna, which shows our confidence in Agfa and the printers Denis Rau, large-format manager Die Keure, Belgium

The engine’s vacuum bed design ensures extremely accurate and reliable dot placement. The bed contains almost 11.000 vacuum holes and is divided in 2 separately controllable table zones with each 4 vacuum compartments, so that you can print differently sized media without having to tape off the whole vacuum bed. This design also allows you to use separate parts of the bed for different jobs in the same print run and still maintain a perfect vacuum. The vacuum can be reversed to aid lifting of large substrates after printing.

Automated retractable media register pins (7 horizontal / 4 vertical) perfectly position the substrate to facilitate accurate double-sided printing.

Anapurna Roll to Roll Your day-to-day roll-to-roll sign & display jobs? Hand them over to your very solid Anapurna RTR3200i LED. This dedicated rollto-roll UV LED-curable printer, which comes in a six colour and a four colour plus white version, handles a broad scope of flexible media for indoor and outdoor applications.

The four colour plus white version stands out by its ability to print white in different modes, improving the opacity of the print-

ed material as well as increasing colour contrast and readability.

The Anapurna RTR3200i LED can also handle dual-roll printing. This option enables you to double your productivity when printing on smaller media—whether it is paper, vinyl or polyester.

The multi-layer printing feature enables different printing modes: • Pre-white: printing white underneath colour • Post-white: printing white on top of colour • Sandwich white: colour-white-colour • High-density colour: printing one colour on top of another colour for backlit applications Print heads can be divided in several parts, and each part can be assigned to a different or identical image, to be used for single-run high density. This means that the Anapurna RTR3200i LED allows printing up to three layers at once, in perfect registration, in one pass. Images come alive. Backlit prints are enhanced when using high-density white on one or more layers.

The dual-roll option makes it possible to install two 60 inch rolls next to each other to run two jobs at the same time. This enables you to use the printer efficiently on smaller media.

The mesh option allows for printing on mesh without liner, which represents an important cost benefit and broadens the printer’s application scope.

A specially designed trolley to handle heavy rolls up to 150 kg will save you a lot of trouble. Installing these heavy rolls can now be done smoothly.

Want to know more? Agfa UK’s Inkjet Experience Centre in Rugby, Warwickshire is fully open. To book your demo visit www.agfa.co.uk/inkjet, email icc.gb@agfa. com or call 020 8231 4027.

Discover Agfa’s printers and presses

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Widthwise 2022

Is your brain holding you back?

The lessons you’ve learned in the past could be why your business fails the test of time - unless you question your mindset.

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igital printing did not even exist when Queen Elizabeth II’s reign began in February 1952, and it would be another 41 years before Benny Landa launched the revolutionary Indigo, effectively making an entire industry possible. There was no internet (the first email was sent in 1969) or smartphone (developed by IBM in 1994), and global warming didn’t exist as a recognised concept - in 1960, crop failures in India and the Soviet Union were attributed by the media as “unlucky weather” although scientists began to wonder whether something irrevocable was happening to the Earth’s climate.

Seventy years later, we live, work and do business in much more uncertain times. The greatest known unknown facing us all is climate change but there are others, more specific to the UK and to wide-format print service providers, notably supply chain disruption, the soaring cost of supplies (including energy) and the British economy’s fragility.

We are entering an era where wide-format print executives discover that curiosity is more useful than decisiveness. As the industry looks ahead, it needs to avoid such cognitive traps as ‘projection bias’ - our tendency to ground our vision of the future in our experience of the present. This mindset led mail order companies astray. They had the systems to sell, market and to deliver shopping to the masses - and were rich enough to invest in their transformation - but their focus on the mail order catalogue left a gap that Jeff Bezos was only too happy to fill with Amazon.

Most industries - and companies - are much more insular than they care to admit.

The ‘egocentric empathy gap’ bias leads us to overestimate the similarity between what we think and what others think. In the early 1980s, high-minded prophets of the digital age assumed the internet would be a boon for people like them, not gamblers, corrupt politicians and trolls.

Digital print companies have already been affected by what theorists call the ‘say/ do gap’. For example, a client will almost certainly say that sustainability is important to them when it comes to buying print but what they actually purchase is as likely to be driven by cost, convenience or quality.

The lesson is: ‘say’ data can be useful, but ‘do’ data is better.

As the industry looks ahead, it needs to avoid cognitive traps ‘Agile’ has become an irritatingly ubiquitous concept for one very good reason -change is greater, faster and more unpredictable than at any time since Elizabeth II’s

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reign began. In this time of flux, print service providers (PSPs) need to be especially wary of ‘hypothesis confirmation’ - our unconscious preference for information that supports our view. This bias is so strong that we often dismiss facts that contradict our opinions as irrelevant. Even more alarmingly research shows that many decision-makers don’t change their thinking even when this error is pointed out to them.

The hypotheses that wide-format printers could consider include - but are not limited to - the likelihood of a game-changing technological breakthrough, how their services fit into the metaverse, and given the relentless advance of AI, what part of their current business could be automated either by themselves or by their (probably larger) clients.

As PSPs navigate through such uncertain times, they should heed American physicist Richard Feynman’s maxim “I would rather have questions that cannot be answered than answers that cannot be questioned.”