If you’re a dealer looking for your next big growth opportunity, wide format printing might be the answer. While office equipment sales remain reliable revenue drivers, the print industry is evolving, and customers are asking for more. Businesses today want to produce their own banners, posters, and signage quickly, without sending jobs to a print shop and waiting days for turnaround.
For dealers, this shift presents a unique chance to expand beyond traditional A3 and A4 devices and deliver a solution that meets an emerging demand. Wide format printers have become more accessible, easier to operate, and more affordable than ever, opening the door to new profit centers. In this blog, we’ll explore why the market for wide format printing is growing, the applications customers want most, the revenue potential for dealers, and practical steps to get started.
Why Wide Format Printing Is Growing
Market Trends Driving Adoption
Wide format printing is no longer limited to large commercial print shops. A growing number of organizations, from schools to corporate offices, want the flexibility to print large-scale materials on demand. Events and experiential marketing are on the rise, creating ongoing demand for banners, backdrops, and displays. Local businesses and nonprofits often need short-run, quick-turnaround graphics, which makes in-house production an attractive option.
Post-pandemic, many organizations are also trying to cut costs and regain control of their timelines. Outsourcing print jobs often means shipping fees, minimum order quantities, and delays. Bringing wide format printing in-house eliminates those obstacles, reduces per-job costs, and gives businesses the ability to produce what they need exactly when they need it.
Technology Is More Accessible
Until recently, wide format printing required specialized equipment and trained operators. Now, compact devices with intuitive interfaces make it easy for anyone to create professional-quality output. Advancements in ink technology have introduced eco-friendly, durable inks suitable for a wide range of applications, including indoor and outdoor use. This evolution lowers the barrier to entry for customers and makes it easier for dealers to position wide format devices as a natural extension of their existing offerings.
Common Wide Format Applications That Drive Sales
The real driver behind wide format’s growth is the variety of applications it supports. Dealers can tap into multiple industries by offering solutions for these common needs:
- Retail and Hospitality: POP (point-of-purchase) displays, sale signage, menu boards, and seasonal promotional graphics are constant needs for retailers and restaurants. Wide format printers allow them to refresh signage frequently without relying on outside vendors.
- Corporate Offices: Presentations, charts, infographics, and wayfinding signs can all be printed in-house, saving time and giving companies the freedom to make changes quickly.
- Education: Schools and universities use wide format printers for posters, classroom visuals, athletic banners, event signage, and graduation materials. This is often a high-volume, repeat opportunity that can deliver strong consumables sales.
- Construction and Architecture: Blueprints, CAD drawings, and site plans require precise detail. Offering wide format solutions with accurate line reproduction can help dealers capture business in this specialized niche.
- Events and Nonprofits: Banners for fundraisers, sponsorship signage, stage backdrops, and promotional posters are all popular wide format applications that drive ongoing demand for ink, media, and service support.
Each of these applications represents recurring business. Customers who bring wide format printing in-house will consume media rolls, ink, and service regularly, creating ongoing revenue for the dealer.
Revenue Potential for Dealers
Adding wide format printing to your portfolio isn’t just about selling another device, it’s about building a new revenue stream.
Hardware Margins
Wide format printers are higher-ticket items, and many models offer healthy profit margins. Dealers can also position them as part of bundled solutions that include software and accessories, increasing deal size.
Recurring Supply Sales
Media rolls, specialty substrates, and ink represent a significant ongoing revenue opportunity. Customers that actively use wide format devices often consume supplies at a steady rate, making this a reliable profit center.
Service Contracts
Just like with copiers and MFPs, wide format printers benefit from regular maintenance. Offering service agreements provides predictable monthly income and keeps customers connected to your business for the long term.
Professional Services
Dealers can further increase profitability by offering installation, workflow setup, and staff training packages. These services not only drive revenue but also ensure that customers get the most from their devices, improving satisfaction and retention.
Benefits for Dealers Who Add Wide Format
Adding wide format to your portfolio does more than generate profit, it strengthens your overall business model.
- Customer Retention: When you offer more solutions, you give customers fewer reasons to look elsewhere. This makes your dealership their one-stop provider for all things print-related.
- Competitive Differentiation: Dealers that offer wide format stand out in the market, particularly in areas where competitors still focus only on standard office equipment.
- Cross-Selling Opportunities: Wide format often opens the door to conversations about workflow software, finishing equipment, and even traditional MPS contracts.
- Future-Proofing: Wide format is a growth segment. By getting in now, you position your dealership ahead of the curve and create a foundation for long-term revenue growth.
How to Get Started
Adding wide format to your lineup doesn’t have to be complicated. Here are a few steps to make the transition smooth and profitable:
Assess Your Market
Start by identifying which segments of your customer base would benefit most from wide format. Look at schools, retail businesses, and construction firms; these are often early adopters. Survey your customers to understand their current print challenges and outsourcing costs.
Choose the Right Devices
Not every dealer needs a production-level printer. Entry-level models can handle many common applications and are often easier for customers to adopt. Work with your vendors to select a lineup that fits the needs of your market, balancing price points with performance.
Train Your Team
Equip your sales and service teams with the knowledge they need to sell and support wide format printers confidently. ISI offers authorized training on Epson’s SureColor T-Series, covering everything from advanced features and maintenance best practices to troubleshooting tips. This hands-on education helps your team deliver better service, keep devices running at their best, and build stronger relationships with customers.
Market the Solution
Show your customers what’s possible. Create sample prints, host open houses, or offer live demos. When customers see the quality and speed of modern wide format devices, they often recognize the value immediately.
Turn Insight into Action
Wide format printing is no longer a niche offering; it’s a growing market that represents a significant opportunity for dealers. Businesses are looking for ways to control costs, speed up turnaround times, and produce professional-quality graphics on demand. By adding wide format solutions to your portfolio, you can deliver exactly what they need while opening a new stream of recurring revenue for your dealership.
If you’re ready to explore how wide format printers can fit into your lineup, now is the perfect time. The opportunity is there, and the dealers who move first will be the ones who capture the most growth.
Why Dealers Are Excited About Wide Format
If you missed our recent webinar, you can still catch the replay. In just 30 minutes, you’ll see how Imaging Dealers, MPS pros, and VARs are boosting margins with Epson wide format printers, Printerpoint, and ISI support. Low maintenance, remote-managed, and no tech headaches, just pure profit.
Watch the webinar recording and start exploring how wide format can become your next profit center.
About ISI
Impression Solutions Inc. is a value-add, full-service distributor of printing and imaging solutions. ISI offers their dealers, resellers and their end users unparalleled service and support as an OEM full line authorized distributor of Kyocera monochrome and color printers, MFPs, Wide Format Printers, printer accessories, printer supplies and customized printing solutions.
Recent launches include Virtual Inventory Services and IS Docs, a turnkey Document Management program for Imaging Dealers to grow their monthly recurring revenues (MRR).
ISI maintains a full inventory of over 2,200 SKUs of printer products ready for same-day shipment from their 35,000 square feet of warehousing space in 5 distribution centers from coast to coast.
