How Businesses Are Utilizing Wide Format Printers
In terms of exciting office technology, wide format printers are a little-known contender which pack a big punch with their creative and innovative applications. Once firmly in the realm of professional imaging companies, they are now enjoying popularity in a variety of business environments.
Advances in technology have made wide format printers cheaper, more accessible, and easier to use. This brings more printing power to the average office and businesses are utilizing wide format printers in unexpected and creative ways.
Thinking about buying a wide format printer, but not quite sure if it will suit an organization’s printing environment? Here are the many unusual ways which wide format printer can benefit a business.
What Does Wide Format Mean, Anyway?
Wide format means anything over the standard A4 printing size: that is, sheets of paper larger than 8.5 by 11 inches. The specific size varies wildly. A small wide format printer which sits on a desk might only print paper sizes of up to 16 inches. Conversely, top-of-the-line, commercial wide format printers can handle sheets of paper up to 16 feet long.
This variation in capabilities means it’s important to look at an office’s current printing habits and future printing goals before shopping for a model. Some examples of projects which take advantage of wide format printing (outside of marketing materials) include:
- Photography
- Packaging
- Presentations
- Life-Size Cutouts
- Fleet Graphics
- Flags
- Signage
- Proofs
- Maps
How a Wide Format Printer Benefits a Business
A wide format printer confers many benefits to a business print environment. Notably, it offers a cornucopia of tools and capabilities which are limited only by a user’s creativity. Here are five major benefits of introducing a wide format printer into an office.
1. Introduce versatility to the printing environment.
The ability to handle different sheet sizes means that an office is no longer limited to the standard 8.5”x11” sheet of paper. Through the clever use of larger paper sizes, offices can print in non-traditional dimensions, making their print environment that much more dynamic.
2. Unlock new possibilities for visual communication.
A wide format printer in the office unlocks new possibilities for visual communication by taking a company’s visual communications out of the A4 box. Businesses gain the ability to print things like blueprints, presentations, vehicle wraps, schematics or other projects which would look tacky on computer paper.
3. Keep print production in one place.
When a company needs to print in wide format, but it doesn’t have its own machine, it has to take it to a printing specialist. In addition to extra costs and time spent on this process, taking materials outside of a secure print environment invites the risk of leaks. Companies which routinely print blueprints or schematics third-party should consider investing in a wide format printer.
4. Enhance advertising potential.
Advances in wide format imaging technology have placed more powerful techniques into the hands of businesses. This makes it even easier for businesses to print their own advertising and marketing materials in-house. This includes posters, banners, flyers, and even floor-to-ceiling visual displays. Advertisements look amazing when printed in wide format.
Likewise, an inkjet wide format printer combines the visual quality of inkjet with the paper capabilities of wide format. This lets an office print its own stunning advertising materials at a fraction of the cost of a professional production printer.
5. Print on more than just paper.
In addition to being more versatile with paper sizes, most wide format printers have the ability to print on materials other than paper. It is possible to find a wide format printer capable of handling:
- Canvas
- Fabric
- Wood
- Metal
- Glass
- Acrylic
- Vinyl
Wide Format is Here to Stay
Wide format printing was once identified as a trend in office printing. However, its usefulness and breadth of application mean that it’s here to stay. Wide format printing is rapidly becoming a staple in modern offices as they seek more powerful imaging technology and the ability to control their own print environment. Investing in a wide format printer for an organization sends the message that the business is forward-thinking and ready to meet the imaging demands of the future.
VBS Is an Expert in What Wide Format Printers Can Do for Businesses
The rising accessibility of wide format printing is threatening to force businesses into rethinking their own printing and imaging infrastructure. As more businesses adopt this technology, such capabilities will become the norm. Wide format printers offer many benefits, including the ability to print a wider range of different projects, and adopt non-traditional paper sizes with ease. Likewise, moving advertising material production in-house helps let businesses keep control of their print environment.
Virginia Business Systems is an expert in what wide format printers can do for a business. To open a discussion about the specific benefits which such technology may bring an organization, contact us today.