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2020 Printing Trends

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Inkjet printers have only been a workplace mainstay for about 30 years, but each new decade brought vast advancements in printer, copier and scanner technology. The start of the ‘20s is sure to do the same.

Learn about printing trends we expect in 2020 and how they’ll affect your workplace.

Personalization

The rise in consumers’ desires for printed décor, signage and other large format printing projects are ushering in a demand for advanced multi-function printers, such as the Oce Colorado.

The desire for more personalized printed products means production printing operations need efficient and long-lasting large format printers that can keep up with demand. Equipment must also be versatile enough to handle printing on a variety of media, everything from thin wallpaper, window film and cloth to thick paper or vinyl for signs. 

Security

Cyberattacks are one of the biggest threats businesses face, and the frequency and severity of cyberattacks won’t slow in the next year or decade. Consider how many documents containing sensitive information roll off the printer, copier or scanner at your organization each day.

Because most multifunctional printers are connected to a business’ servers, they’re at risk for cyberattacks. In 2020, we’ll see even more manufacturers release machines with software and hardware offer more security, such as programs that require employees to verify credentials before printing or collecting documents.

Cloud Storage

Storing reams of documents in countless filing cabinets is so 2000. As we head into the 2020s, workplaces will demand more efficient processes. Cloud storage services, such as Infomax’s uniFLOW document management system, will allow workplaces to print faster and store documents easily. These programs also allow remote printing. System administrators can also set document permissions for specific users, increasing security for sensitive information. We’ll see more workplaces use document management systems to connect to various devices throughout the next year.

Crisp Imaging

The minimalist aesthetic that ruled the late 2010s will continue to dominate design in 2020. For printers, simple design could mean fewer headaches with clashing ink colors and complex overlaid graphic elements.

However, understated designs could bring their own set of challenges, whether printing on inkjet or laser printers. The few elements on a printed document will need to have clean lines and crisp images. 

Environmental Sustainability

Many industries champion environmental sustainability causes, and the printing industry is no exception. Customers have long chosen to print on recycled paper, but we’ll see more printer manufacturers nod to green practices a nod in 2020. It’s possible that more printers will use soy and vegetable-based inks instead of petroleum-based substances. New machines will also be more energy efficient.

To outfit your office with equipment suited for the next decade, message us online or call 1-800-727-4629.

Brand Your Business with Color Printing

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Utilizing color is a great way to separate your company from the competition. Finding a way to stand out in a crowded marketplace can be a major challenge when it comes to marketing your products or services. Without the right use of color in your branding approach, your business runs the risk of getting lost in the mix amongst the many other businesses within your industry.

Take a look at some of the larger corporations in today’s world. Amazon, Target, Walmart, Netflix, Starbucks, and Facebook are a handful of big names that generally come to mind when you think of big businesses. Each uses a specific color scheme for their branding methods. You can easily envision their colors because each of these companies uses a consistent approach to branding, whether it’s in print, online, or in-person.

A few tips for color usage
When it comes to using color for branding, there are a few things to keep in mind to help improve the visibility of your business. First, be sure to create a bold contrast by using the right combination of colors that will catch the eye. But, be careful not to use too many colors—with more colors in play, a customer is less likely to associate your marketing efforts with your brand.

Next, make sure your logo or message is legible. Be careful with tinting, effects, and any color combinations that make your output difficult to comprehend. When all is said and done, your audience needs to be able to clearly recognize your brand and its message.

Finally, be sure to remain consistent with your colors across all mediums. Your target audience needs to connect your colors with your business. This will happen over time as customers repeatedly interact with your brand.

The importance of color printing
Now that we’ve looked at the importance of color in branding, along with some valuable color usage techniques, let’s focus on the value of color printing. Color alignment across all marketing materials requires printing equipment that can consistently match the hues of your particular color scheme. It takes the right print setup combined with state-of-the-art technology to produce high-quality print materials. After all of the hard work your marketing team puts into its color scheme, it is essential to make sure your equipment can produce the best materials that best match the vision of your brand.

For more information on color printers and how they can keep your company’s colors consistent throughout all media outputs, contact Infomax Systems today.

Gain a Strategic Advantage with Color Printing

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Color printing is essential in the workplace. A simple equipment upgrade to accommodate color is surprisingly affordable, and it nets both measurable and intangible benefits for virtually any business in any industry. Here are just a few the ways printing in color can help your business gain a strategic advantage over the competition.

Detail and Quality
Color images can pack more detail into the same space as their black and white counterparts. They add dynamics and entire dimensions to any message, and the color is able to capture detail that improves overall image quality. Remembering that printing is ultimately just another form of communication, these are important facts. Any printing that is intended to convey instructional or emphatic information is more effective when presented with color. In fact, a great deal of research has investigated the topic, and the results are clear: color messages are 65 percent easier to understand than black and white. This leads to an 80-percent reduction in error and a 3.9-percent drop in failure costs. In this way, color printing can easily save money in long-term operational costs.

Aesthetics
There is a more obvious reason to use color: it’s prettier. This is easy to dismiss until you dwell on it for a moment. In terms of advertising and attention grabbing, color will obviously do better than simple monochromatic approaches. The same studies that looked at interoffice impacts also compared the effects of color on customers. Color printing increases readership by 55 percent. This applies to promotional emails and static advertisements (like billboards, posters, or fliers). Implementing color designs also improves brand recognition by 80 percent and boosts attention span and recall by 82 percent. These are large numbers that show color’s aesthetics will nearly double your returns on any given outreach to customers.

Accessibility
These statistics are powerful, but a business always has to consider their bottom line. If the cost of color printing isn’t returned to a company, then there is little reason to invest in it. This argument crumbles pretty quickly—except in terms of plain-text documents, color printing averages a lower cost per page than monochrome. There are obvious exceptions to this, but generally speaking, a high-resolution black-and-white photo is more expensive to print than its color counterpart. This loops back to packing more information in a given space. For any particular image, a monochromatic print requires more dots per inch to convey the same quality as a color print. So, unless you are printing a word-only document (which probably doesn’t need to be more than an email), you save money by going with color.

If you want to push your business to the next level, there is little reason to avoid a color upgrade to help you do so. It isn’t a business expense, it’s a savvy investment. Contact Infomax Office Systems today to find the right color printer for your organization.

The Right Printing Hardware to Increase Productivity

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The productivity of your office relies heavily on the business technology you utilize. Without the right equipment in place, you can’t expect employees to perform at peak productivity. Imagine trying to dig a ditch with just a serving spoon; sure, eventually you’ll be able to dig something resembling a ditch, but how much time and effort would be required to do so if you were using a shovel instead?

Does your staff have the printing hardware it needs to operate a peak proficiency? Here are some of the devices available today that could help your organization enhance its productivity.

Black-and-white printers – Modern black-and-white printers, built for speed and efficiency, are the workhorse of any office. These devices are excellent for large projects as well as the daily printing of emails, invoices, and documents. Many printers even come equipped with finishing options—such as stapling, collating, and folding—that will help your team complete their tasks on time.

Color printers – Color printers provide you with the freedom to produce stunning photos, logos, marketing materials, and proposals. With templates and in-house printing, you don’t need to spend days negotiating with external designers on standard jobs. Instead, print what you need, when you need it.

Multifunction printers (MFPs) – One device, multiple uses—in the office, a multifunction printer is your jack-of-all-trades. With copy, print, scan, and fax capabilities, MFPs provide a central piece of hardware to meet multiple needs, saving money, space, and energy.

Wide format printers – By cutting out the designer or print shop, you can get right to the business of printing phenomenal in-house posters and banners when you bring wide format machines in-house. The average wide format printer can produce up to 15 posters in a single hour, without ever waiting in line at the print shop. Quickly and easily create gorgeous images for display in the office or for marketing purposes in public areas.

Your company’s business technology defines your capabilities, and having the right printing hardware in place will substantially improve productivity. To take your office’s productivity to the next level of quality, precision, and speed, contact Infomax today.