Trade Printers: Trust the Trade

There are no two ways about it; the last few years have been tough for the printing industry. The road to recovery from the pandemic has been a tough one, and one that has proven too much for some businesses, while the tricky economic situation of recent times has led to many companies tightening their purse strings in an effort to save on costs and keep hold of as much cash as possible.

As a result, this has left some businesses unable to invest in the equipment they need to move into new markets and grow their business. However, for those companies not willing to invest tens of thousands of pounds into new equipment but still want to make a go of it in new markets, there is another highly effective option in the form of trade printers.

The popularity of trade print businesses has rocketed in recent years as they support their industry clients with new ventures and take on work in new markets. Here, Print Monthly catches up with several trade printers to find out more about what they can offer to print service providers (PSPs).

Find a Unique Niche

First up to the plate is Solopress, whose sales and customer success director, Sarah Kilcoyne, says teaming up with trade printers like Solopress can be a game-changer for printers that want to expand their offering while maintaining the service levels they are known for.

“Without spending a fortune on sophisticated equipment, they can produce top-quality print on demand by tapping into our state-of-the-art facilities,” Kilcoyne says, adding: “It lets print companies experiment with new products and markets without the financial stress.

“This flexibility helps them find their unique niche, stay ahead of competitors, and adapt quickly to shifting demand. Plus, our services help them weather the ups and downs of the market without the burden of fixed costs.

“At Solopress, we’re all about supporting the growth of our trade partners. When our partners succeed, we succeed, which is why we’ve developed services aimed at making life easier for them.”

Kilcoyne takes the opportunity to highlight Solopro, a free service that it offers for partners that rely on a high volume of print. Members get a dedicated account manager who works with them to create a custom service, including flexible pricing, priority production, and credit terms that support their needs.

Also from Solopress is the Soloflo API solution, developed with the aim of assisting print resellers. With Soloflo, orders flow directly from Solopress’ production workflow, removing the need for resellers to re-enter customer orders manually to have them fulfilled by Solopress.

Alongside this, new from Solopress is Brand Central, which allows companies to have their own online print-buying portal. It is a microsite, tailored to the customer’s brand, that allows stakeholders to order print that’s consistently on-brand and reasonably priced.

With its finger clearly on the pulse of the market, Solopress is very well placed to advise on key market trends. However, when it comes to picking out the most popular work and demands from customers, Kilcoyne says this is tough to pin down as it sees such a variety of work come through our doors.

“That said, we’ve recently experienced a number of requests for stand-up pouch packaging and greater versatility on stickers, so we’ve responded to those by broadening our range to accommodate them,” Kilcoyne says, adding: “We’re always receptive to suggestions and we have channels in place to ensure that trends we see at an account manager level translate into new products and options.

“By and large, our trade partners serve a wide range of markets, with many finding their niche in areas like publishing, retail, hospitality, or events. For that reason, we aim to offer the maximum versatility in terms of products, materials, sizes, and finishing, as well as keeping things flexible and accommodating bespoke requests.”

New Routes to Market

Also in this area is Very Displays, whose marketing manager, Kirsty Corcoran, says the main advantages of working with a trade printer and supplier such as Very Displays are simply the ease and extra routes to market that become available – especially with its expertise in the wide- and large-format print sector.

“We offer large-format printing to help our trade customers when their production is at full capacity, or for those that have limited resource,” Corcoran says, adding: “By supplying the full service to our trade customers, we expand their capabilities, allowing them to say yes to all their customers’ needs and requests.

“We know what we’re good at and we stick to that, so our customers can lean on our years of expertise to provide their customers with a much wider variety of products without having to invest in additional machinery or personnel.”

Corcoran lists tube fabric display backwalls and flags as Very’s print bread and butter, though it also has a large stock holding of display hardware, which she says means customers do not have to tie up funds and use precious warehouse space to store a wide range of large-format products.

However, support from trade printers does not end with the delivery of printed work; with Corcoran saying it goes much further than this, explaining Very also helps customers with marketing and sales initiatives.

“We provide unbranded product imagery for websites and digital comms, unbranded selling brochures that we can overbrand with customers' logos, hands on product training at our showroom, and even unbranded e-shot templates,” she says.

“All an extra free service we provide to help our trade customers sell the product and in turn expand and grow in the large-format print sector. All of this extra material can be found on the customer’s online account, where they can now also purchase all hardware online for next day delivery, again making the buying process incredibly straightforward.”

Swinging back to actual print, what is currently proving popular with Very’s trade customers? Corcoran picks out textile and soft signage as key growth areas, adding that due to the reusability and more environmentally friendly nature of fabric print, customers are opting for its larger fabric back walls. Elsewhere, modular display solutions are also growing in demand, with an increased need for portable systems that are practical for setup and can be used time and time again.

Economies of Scale

Meanwhile, Scott Conway, director and co-founder of Venture Banners, has similar feedback in terms of the advantages of working with a trade printer. He says a true trade partner will help you diversify in markets that would be too difficult or expensive to enter traditionally.

“A trade supplier should be trusted, and consistent with their products, materials, and pricing,” he says, adding: “Our consistency gives our customers confidence in our products and materials, and most importantly our true trade pricing enables our customers to be able to make a profit from them.

A trade supplier should be trusted, and consistent with their products, materials, and pricing

“Something we often hear from our customers is that it is more cost-effective for them to buy from us than it is to print it themselves, and that is what we offer – an outsource partner that offers economies of scale on the bread-and-butter work, so that printers can concentrate their own resources on the more profitable areas of the market and free up time for higher margin, lower volume work.”

Conway goes on to say Venture Banners is always looking to apply its economies of scale to enable customers to increase their large-format product offerings, and in turn their revenue streams. He says there is no downside to this business model, with customers able to offer a complex array of large-format and exhibition products without huge investment but with plenty of margin.

Adding to this, Conway says banners and roller banners, which have been the mainstay of the Venture Banners product range, remain popular with customers. However, it is also seeing rising demand for its range of flags, stretch products, and textile graphics.

“One of our mottos is: ‘We work hard in the background to make you look fantastic’, and as a true trade-only supplier the trust that generates definitely gives us the edge,” Conway says.

“We’re always listening to what our customers want and updating our product offering accordingly – due to customer demand we’ve made a lot of additions to our textile graphics options and invested in cutting-edge textile printing and finishing equipment, and we’re in the process of launching new product lines to meet demand for more sustainable display options.”

Competitive Prices

Rounding off with the aptly named Tradeprint. Graham Webster, recently promoted to head of new business, says Tradeprint is committed to supporting its customers in the long term, with this proven by its ongoing investment in new kit.

“Tradeprint is very well invested in new kit, in fact our second new inkjet device is currently being installed,” Webster says, adding: “These investments allow us to print on a broad range of substrates but also to focus on high runners that enable us to be very competitive.

“Supporting customers with artwork is also a key ambition for Tradeprint. We offer the biggest free 40-point artwork check in the upload and print space and have services tailored to every need from a design service for new projects to our File Check for additional support when required. Our Just Print service enables print resellers and professional designers to move quickly from upload to print.”

Webster says Tradeprint provides one of the most comprehensive online print catalogues in the UK, with resources and tools to help print companies grow with delivery services to suit all budgets. Alongside this, he highlights the benefits of TP Connect, a white label plug-in to its factory from a customer’s own e-commerce platform, and the Tradeprint PRO loyalty scheme that offers immediate access to PRO pricing, credit rewards, and marketing tools.

In terms of demand, Webster says the events and outdoor industry are significant at this time of year with a high demand for large-format printing like signage, banners, and rigid boards. He adds that promotional products are popular, and labels and packaging are increasing in popularity with our ever-expanding customer base.

“We have launched a relatively new category for us – Promotional Gifts and Promotional Merch – and are excited about the growth from this large range of new products,” he says.

Clearly, there are many benefits to working with trusted and reliable trade print partners, such as those featured here. While you may have to give up some profit on jobs, the money you save from not having to invest in your own kit could be the better option in the longer run.