Feeling festive!
“It’s the most wonderful time of the year.” These famous lyrics may ring true for many print businesses, for which Christmas is an incredibly busy time and represents a significant amount of their annual income.
Demand has also rocketed for printed work for other key seasonal events. Be it producing packaging for chocolate eggs at Easter; selection boxes and festive takeaway cups at Christmas; romantic banners for Valentine’s Day; or even printed costumes for Halloween, there is a huge array of seasonal work on offer to printers.
Easter is a good time for printers with the huge range of food packaging that is produced
But how can you take advantage of this work, and what can can you do to ensure you’re getting a slice of the mince pie? Print Monthly speaks with a handful of printer manufacturers to get their take on this area.
Busy and profitable
Epson is one manufacturer that champions the idea of seasonal print work to its customers, highlighting how they can take advantage of what can be a quiet time for these companies in December and potentially move out of their usual remit to satisfy demand.
“For many businesses, December is a quiet month with the exceptions obviously being retail and hospitality,” says Phil McMullin, pro graphics sales manager for Epson UK, who adds: “So, if you want to be busy and profitable over the Christmas period, seasonal promotions for this sector represent money spinners for wide-format print companies.
“Most big organisations will have planned months in advance and will have a preferred supplier already lined up. So, the best course of action is probably to directly target smaller local businesses which might appreciate some help in promoting their services leading up to Christmas.
The best course of action is probably to directly target smaller local businesses which might appreciate some help in promoting their services leading up to Christmas”
“For those working for the wide- and large-format print markets, then the most obvious type of work that is always popular at this time of the year – and indeed for other seasonal events – is window graphics for retail and hospitality. Also, for Christmas, you have short-term signage and posters for advertising festive specials.”
Christmas is a booming time for printers with products such as selection boxes required en masse
Looking at how Epson can support wide-format printers with this type of work throughout the year, McMullin points to the Epson SureColor S80600, one of the manufacturer’s most popular wide-format printers. The machine includes white and metallic as standard, which McMullin says makes it an ideal choice for producing many of the eye-catching applications we are all accustomed to during seasonal events and holidays.
“The white option is essential for printing window graphics on clear media, while when it comes to metallic print, this is ideal for adding sparkle to any Christmas-themed posters” McMullin says.
“This printer offers users a new way to create everything from simple signage to high-end displays and décor on a range of substrates. Every single component has been entirely designed and manufactured by Epson to ensure seamless operation and guarantee professional-quality results.”
In addition, McMullin highlights the new Epson SureColor P8500D printer that he says offers an affordable entry to volume poster printing with “exceptional print quality and reliability as standard”.
“The printer is a fully integrated solution that offers productive printing, smart features, and easy operation,” McMullin says, adding: “The SC-P8500D has been engineered with the Epson PrecisionCore MicroTFP printhead and six-colour UltraChrome Pro6 pigment inks; which includes a new grey ink to broaden the colour gamut.”
Something different
Elsewhere and Hybrid Services, the exclusive distributor of Mimaki in the UK and Ireland, is also a strong advocate of getting involved with seasonal work. Martin Southworth, reseller account manager at Hybrid Services, says adding seasonal work to an existing product offering can bring valuable additional business, fill gaps in workload, and entice new clients, who can then potentially become longer-term customers.
From Easter and Christmas to Halloween and Valentine’s Day, seasonal print applies to all sorts of events. Picture: Hybrid Services
“There’s a high likelihood that a business’ existing client base will already have some form of seasonal printing requirements, so engaging with them early in the season, and making them aware of the creative possibilities is a surefire way of creating a need,” Southworth says.
“By offering something different, potentially by using the creative powers of the Mimaki UJV100-160 UV printer with its white ink and clear varnish – an ideal combination for producing Christmas graphics – it’s possible to attract new customers, who can then go on to bring in work for the rest of the year.
“Equally, harnessing the benefits of digital printing can result in customers ordering short runs of bespoke, personalised graphics, rather than resorting to ‘off-the-shelf’ products ordered from a catalogue. By offering point-of-sale and window graphics that are customised to the individual business, it’s also an opportunity to charge a premium over higher volume options.”
Looking at the type of work wide-format print companies should be looking to target within this market, Southworth says there is no shortage of options. He explains that whether it is Christmas, Easter, or Bank Holiday retail point-of-sale, seasonal décor such as decorative artwork, window graphics, and floorcoverings will be big business.
He also points out furnishings focused on occasions like Christmas cushions and table runners, event banners, and graphics for summer festivals, fetes and concerts, vehicle graphics for seasonal promotions and branding, and even directional signage for special events that may come about only a few times a year.
Hybrid Services has identified a wide range of print applications suited to seasonal events
Southworth says all these offer a great opportunity to win new clients and bring more business from existing relationships.
“Further options include producing seasonally decorated items, such as stationery, phone cases, corporate decorations, and other promotional products – all deliverable in short, personalised runs with a printer such as the Mimaki UJF Series small-format UV flatbed models,” Southworth explains, adding: “Using UV-cured ink, the UJF makes it possible to print direct to almost any object, adding value and profit through personalisation.”
Taking a closer look at the print technology available from Mimaki and Hybrid, Southworth focuses in on the latest 100 Series solvent, UV and dye-sublimation printers, all of which he says offer a low-cost entry into printing signage, décor, and textiles that can be used for seasonal graphics printing.
“With a competitive price coupled with ease of use and powerful features, all three models are 1.6m wide and ship with Mimaki software to ease the workflow,” he says.
Also available from Hybrid is the Mimaki JV100-160 solvent printer, which he says makes light work of exterior signage, vehicle graphics, and banners and is currently on offer with a trade-in of up to £3,000 for any old solvent, latex, or UV printer.
“Mimaki’s UJV100-160 is a great option for printing to an even wider range of materials, and with a free CG-130AR cutter currently being offered – and its bright white ink, is the perfect solution for
creating detailed window graphics, seasonal decals, and shaped flooring prints,” he says.
In addition, for businesses looking into seasonal décor and furnishings, Southworth points to the Mimaki TS100-1600 as the “ideal solution” for taking the first steps into production dye-sublimation printing. Coupled with a heat press, it enables transfer printing onto polyester fabrics such as cushions and tableware, as well as fashion and apparel prints – all of which he highlighted as key areas for seasonal work.
O Factoid: Coupled
with a heat press, the Mimaki TS100-1600 dye-sublimation printer
enables transfer printing onto polyester fabrics such as cushions and
tableware O
What works for you?
Meanwhile, HP also has a host of printers suitable for seasonal work. However, Jane Rixon, business development manager for signage and decoration at HP, says while there are some opportunities for wide-format printers to pick up work at certain times of the year, and this work can be very lucrative for businesses, she says there isn’t as much seasonal print work as there used to be and printers need to choose carefully.
“These days, campaigns that take place in and around big seasonal events are more about launching a new product or a service, rather than being seasonal in their content or focus,” Rixon says, adding: “So, it may be up to the wide-format printer to identify the projects that will work best for them and establish whether it would be worth taking on in terms of both workload and financial reward.
“Attracting this work is no different from attracting other work in the industry; you need to put the work in throughout the year to give yourself the best chance of securing the most valuable seasonal work.
“This could include building up a portfolio of solid case studies that showcase your ability to produce a wide range of work, as well as establishing good connections with advertising agencies so they are aware of the services you can offer to brands, retailers, and marketers, and also work with trade associations to identify the work available in the market.
“In addition, consider upping your presence on social media to draw attention to your business and the level of work you can deliver, produce a series of samples that you can show to potential and existing customers, and even consider calling out to clients and speaking with them about possible ideas for print-based seasonal work.”
Looking to HP’s technology, Rixon picks out a number of machines, including the new HP Latex 2700. It can print on media as wide as 3.2m, opening up all sorts of markets and applications for users, while its ability to print at speeds of 121sq m/hr in outdoor mode will help with turnaround time pressure that is particularly high for seasonal events.
Its sister model, the HP Latex 2700W, also offers the ability to print with white ink, which Rixon says is an incredibly useful tool when it comes to Christmas work.
“Add in unattended printing, remote monitoring, and the fact both the HP Latex 2700 and HP Latex 2700W use the same technology to print roll-to-roll, and this will help users to take on a wide range of seasonal work,” Rixon says.
Aside from this, HP offers the HP Latex 700 and 800, both of which are also available with white ink in the 700W and 800W models. Much like the HP Latex 2700, these machines offer users the ability to take on all sorts of seasonal work – and as is the case with all HP Latex models, this can be done in a planet-friendly way thanks to their use of water-based inks.
Finally, the HP Latex R Printer Series, a true hybrid solution that is equally strong in both rigid and flexible. The HP Latex R is available in the HP Latex R1000, HP Latex R1000 Plus, and the HP Latex R2000 models, each of which offers users a solution that can print on materials as thick as 5cm. The HP Latex R2000 has a wider operating area of 2.5m, allowing users to take on some of the bigger seasonal jobs available on the market.
While the market for seasonal work may be competitive, there are certainly opportunities for printers. Investment in the right sort of kit can set you on the path to profit throughout the year. ‘Tis the season to be jolly!
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