Did you know that 650,000 new businesses open their doors every single year? That is thousands of companies per day failing!
Of all of those companies that are setting up shop, one of the most popular that we are seeing now are digital printers.
Most digital printers are mom-and-pop-shop printing service providers that do everything from helping customers print out their reports to helping businesses print out 100-foot signs. These companies are growing in popularity big-time and are stealing market share from big-box printers like Kinko's because many people prefer the specialized expertise of a small operation.
The need for real-world marketing solutions are an essential part for any business to thrive locally. Commercial printing services offer this opportunity to businesses that want to enhance their local market presence with marketing materials.
If opening digital printing companies is at the top of your entrepreneurial to-do list, you have come to the right blog post!
Below, we outline why digital printing companies are a great choice in today's economy and touch on how to go about getting yours started.
Why Digital Printing Companies and Why Now?
People tend to ask "Why?" when we talk up digital printing companies. When they do, these are the reasons that we usually hit them with:
Advertising Dollars Are Way Up
As we mentioned in this article's intro, businesses are opening at a breakneck pace. That has had a direct effect on the amount of money that's being invested in advertising.
Today, over 563 billion dollars is being poured into advertising materials globally. That number has gone up steeply over the last decade. Digital printing companies are cashing in on that additional spend.
A Rewarding Job for Designers And Artists
There are millions of people that study graphic design and art. Very few of these people find lucrative jobs that allow them to flex their artistic expertise. Digital printing is one of the few jobs that artists flourish in and can make a practical living from.
People are choosing to go to small digital printing companies over big ones because they want to consult with design professionals rather than a worker at Kinko's that's still in high school. That truth could mean massive traction for your company if you have an expertly-trained eye.
Product Possibilities
Digital printers can sell a variety of products which means that sale opportunities are only limited by imagination.
Making signs, digitizing photos, touching up pictures and a variety of other services are commonplace at print shops and don't feel tacked on. Compare that to other businesses that are more limited in the products that they can sell and you can see why digital printing companies manage to pull in considerable revenue.
How to Start a Digital Printing Business
Now that we've sold you on why digital printing makes sense, let's talk about how to start your business. Our tips below are broad but should get you on the right track.
Step 1: Get Educated
Just because you can print a word document at home does not mean that you're ready to run a print shop. Print shops print several highly-specialized items that need to adhere to very specific guidelines for them to come out correctly.
Having an education in graphic design or any related art is very helpful in running a shop successfully. You might want to also study successful digital printing competitors to see how they do things and emulate what works.
Step 2: Create a Business Plan
Once you feel like you have the know-how to service customer's printing needs, you're going to want to create a plan for your company. This plan should include everything from who your target customer is to how much money you plan on making and what your marketing strategy is going to be.
The reason why most digital printing companies need to have a solid business plan in place is that most will need help financing their equipment and investors won't lend money unless they feel confident in where your company is headed.
Step 3: Secure Financing
Commercial printing equipment can cost tens of thousands of dollars. Unless you have that kind of money lying around, you're going to need to get some financial help.
Your bank may be willing to give you a business loan that could get your company off of the ground. If you're having trouble borrowing from banks, you could also crowdsource your loan through popular peer-to-peer lending websites.
Just make sure that you read your loan's terms carefully so you're not caught off guard by interest or fees.
Step 4: Find a Location
With funding in your pocket, it's time to find a space to operate out of. In our opinion, picking a location in the center of a business park is always a good bet because companies might choose to work with you out of convenience.
Some digital printers opt to run their business fully online so they can skip paying for an office lease.
We don't recommend this unless you're extremely technologically savvy since getting traction as a printer with no physical presence can be a huge marketing hurdle.
Step 5: Start Marketing
Once you have your location picked out, start marketing your services before you even launch by offering local businesses a free sample of what it is that you offer on opening day. Getting people in the door with freebies is a great way to introduce yourself and build connections that could last a lifetime!
Wrapping Up Our Digital Printing Companies Guide
Digital printing companies are doing well in America and across the globe. If you're thinking of foraying into this profession, we commend you and hope that our tips will help you along your journey!
If you'd like more tips on how to optimize your company without breaking the bank, check out more of the newest content on our blog.
If opening digital printing companies is at the top of your entrepreneurial to-do list, you have come to the right blog post!
Below, we outline why digital printing companies are a great choice in today's economy and touch on how to go about getting yours started.
Why Digital Printing Companies and Why Now?
People tend to ask "Why?" when we talk up digital printing companies. When they do, these are the reasons that we usually hit them with:
Advertising Dollars Are Way Up
As we mentioned in this article's intro, businesses are opening at a breakneck pace. That has had a direct effect on the amount of money that's being invested in advertising.
Today, over 563 billion dollars is being poured into advertising materials globally. That number has gone up steeply over the last decade. Digital printing companies are cashing in on that additional spend.
A Rewarding Job for Designers And Artists
There are millions of people that study graphic design and art. Very few of these people find lucrative jobs that allow them to flex their artistic expertise. Digital printing is one of the few jobs that artists flourish in and can make a practical living from.
People are choosing to go to small digital printing companies over big ones because they want to consult with design professionals rather than a worker at Kinko's that's still in high school. That truth could mean massive traction for your company if you have an expertly-trained eye.
Product Possibilities
Digital printers can sell a variety of products which means that sale opportunities are only limited by imagination.
Making signs, digitizing photos, touching up pictures and a variety of other services are commonplace at print shops and don't feel tacked on. Compare that to other businesses that are more limited in the products that they can sell and you can see why digital printing companies manage to pull in considerable revenue.
How to Start a Digital Printing Business
Now that we've sold you on why digital printing makes sense, let's talk about how to start your business. Our tips below are broad but should get you on the right track.
Step 1: Get Educated
Just because you can print a word document at home does not mean that you're ready to run a print shop. Print shops print several highly-specialized items that need to adhere to very specific guidelines for them to come out correctly.
Having an education in graphic design or any related art is very helpful in running a shop successfully. You might want to also study successful digital printing competitors to see how they do things and emulate what works.
Step 2: Create a Business Plan
Once you feel like you have the know-how to service customer's printing needs, you're going to want to create a plan for your company. This plan should include everything from who your target customer is to how much money you plan on making and what your marketing strategy is going to be.
The reason why most digital printing companies need to have a solid business plan in place is that most will need help financing their equipment and investors won't lend money unless they feel confident in where your company is headed.
Step 3: Secure Financing
Commercial printing equipment can cost tens of thousands of dollars. Unless you have that kind of money lying around, you're going to need to get some financial help.
Your bank may be willing to give you a business loan that could get your company off of the ground. If you're having trouble borrowing from banks, you could also crowdsource your loan through popular peer-to-peer lending websites.
Just make sure that you read your loan's terms carefully so you're not caught off guard by interest or fees.
Step 4: Find a Location
With funding in your pocket, it's time to find a space to operate out of. In our opinion, picking a location in the center of a business park is always a good bet because companies might choose to work with you out of convenience.
Some digital printers opt to run their business fully online so they can skip paying for an office lease.
We don't recommend this unless you're extremely technologically savvy since getting traction as a printer with no physical presence can be a huge marketing hurdle.
Step 5: Start Marketing
Once you have your location picked out, start marketing your services before you even launch by offering local businesses a free sample of what it is that you offer on opening day. Getting people in the door with freebies is a great way to introduce yourself and build connections that could last a lifetime!
Wrapping Up Our Digital Printing Companies Guide
Digital printing companies are doing well in America and across the globe. If you're thinking of foraying into this profession, we commend you and hope that our tips will help you along your journey!
If you'd like more tips on how to optimize your company without breaking the bank, check out more of the newest content on our blog.
