For years, office technology dealers have heard that the print business is changing. That statement is true, but it’s also incomplete. The office business isn’t going away. Customers still need reliable output, secure devices, strong service and smarter document workflows.
But the economics are shifting. Page volumes are declining, customers are extending leases, costs are under closer scrutiny and fewer devices are expected to do more. Dealers feel that pressure every day.
That’s why production print deserves a serious place in the dealer conversation. It’s not simply another product category—it’s an opportunity to protect relevance, create new revenue and move closer to the customer’s most important business processes.
I often say that production print isn’t the MFP business. With an office MFP, it’s possible to place a device and not have a deep operational conversation for quite some time. Production print is different. A production press is a revenue engine for the customer. It supports deadlines, applications, campaigns, communications and, in many cases, the customer’s own ability to make money. If that device isn’t running, the customer isn’t just inconvenienced. They may be missing a job, disappointing a client or losing revenue.
That difference is exactly why dealers should be paying attention.
Production Print is Moving from Speed to Value
Historically, much of the production print conversation centered on speed, volume and cost per page. Those things still matter, of course. Customers need systems that can perform reliably, produce high-quality output and handle demanding workloads.
But the most successful conversations today are shifting from “How fast can it print?” to “How much value can it create?”
This is where production print becomes especially compelling. Customers are looking for ways to differentiate their output. They want shorter runs, faster turnaround, more customization and more creative applications. They want print that stands out instead of simply adding to the pile.
Digital embellishment, specialty colors, metallics, white, clear, pink, textured effects, advanced media handling and inline finishing are all part of that value story. These capabilities give print providers a way to move beyond commodity CMYK work and offer applications that command attention and better margins.
What’s especially exciting is that the opportunity remains largely untapped. According to a 2026 Digital Embellishment Study from Taktiful and WhatTheyThink, only 21% of respondents reported facing competitors that offer digital embellishment, down from 44% the previous year. In other words, the differentiation window remains wide open for providers willing to invest early.
The profitability story is equally compelling. Seventy-five percent of print providers say digital embellishment jobs are always or usually more profitable than comparable CMYK work, and for the first time in the study’s three-year history, no respondents reported that embellishment was rarely or never more profitable. That’s a remarkable shift from being an emerging technology to a proven profit center.
Perhaps most importantly, customer demand is accelerating. Sixty-one percent of respondents reported increased demand for embellished applications during the past year, more than double the percentage reported in 2025. Customers today are actively looking for ways to make their marketing materials, packaging, direct mail and promotional pieces stand out in an increasingly crowded marketplace. Print providers that can offer unique visual and tactile enhancements are finding themselves in a stronger position to win business and command premium pricing.
For dealers, that represents a very different kind of conversation. It’s not about racing to the bottom on price but rather helping customers understand what they can charge for unique output, how they can expand their offerings and how they can become more profitable, not merely more productive.
That mindset matters. In this industry, we’ve spent too much time focusing on how low we can go. The future belongs to dealers and print providers who can show customers how high they can climb.
AI Will Accelerate the Shift
Artificial intelligence is going to influence production print in very practical ways. I don’t see AI as a buzzword or a magic switch. It’s an enabler that can help address some of the biggest challenges print providers and dealers are already facing.
One of those challenges is labor. It’s becoming harder to find skilled operators and technicians. Experienced people are retiring. Younger talent isn’t always entering the industry at the same pace. At the same time, customers expect faster turnaround, greater consistency and fewer errors.
AI and automation can help close that gap.
In production print, AI will increasingly support estimating, scheduling, file preparation, color management, predictive maintenance, workflow decisions and quality control. It can help reduce manual touchpoints, identify potential problems before they become downtime and allow operators to focus on higher-value work.
That doesn’t mean AI replaces expertise. In fact, I believe the opposite. AI makes expertise more scalable. It gives good operators better tools. It gives newer operators more guidance. It gives dealers better insight into service needs and customer environments. And it gives print providers a path to do more with less in a market where labor will continue to be a constraint.
For dealers, this is important because AI will also change what customers expect from their partners. Customers will not only ask whether a device prints at a certain speed but also whether the workflow is intelligent. They’ll ask whether the system helps reduce waste, improve up time, simplify operator training and integrate with the rest of their business.
Dealers who can answer those questions will be in a much stronger position.
The Dealer Opportunity Is Real
For many dealers, production print may feel like unfamiliar territory, which is understandable. It requires investment. It requires training. It requires a different service mindset. A dealer can’t simply add a production press to the line card and treat it like a larger copier.
But for dealers willing to make the investment, the opportunity is significant.
A single high-end production color press can represent the page volume of many office MFPs. That matters at a time when traditional office pages are under pressure. Production print gives dealers a way to bring pages back into their business, deepen customer relationships and participate in a part of the market where customers still need hands-on support.
It also aligns closely with the dealer’s existing strengths. Dealers know how to build relationships. They understand service, know their local markets and already work with schools, universities, commercial printers, in-plants, corporate print centers, nonprofits and businesses that may have production needs but aren’t being fully served.
In many cases, the customer already trusts the dealer. They may prefer to work with a partner they know instead of bringing in another vendor. That trust is powerful, but only if the dealer is prepared to support the business properly. That means having trained salespeople who can sell value, not just equipment. Having trained technicians who understand production environments. Being willing to learn the applications, workflows, finishing requirements and business pressures that production customers face every day.
The dealers who do that won’t just sell another device but instead will create a new profit center.
Support Will Be the Differentiator
As production print evolves, support will become one of the biggest differentiators in the market.
Customers need more than a box on the dock. They need a partner who understands the full installation process, from site inspections and power requirements to delivery, setup, training and ongoing optimization.
These are large, complex devices. They need the right environment and to be handled correctly by operators who know how to use them.
That’s why training and service are so important. A customer investing in a production press needs to understand how to leverage its full capabilities. If they have specialty color capabilities, they need to know how to sell and produce those applications. For inline finishing, they need to understand how to build more efficient workflows around it. And software tools require training to turn those tools into revenue.
The future of production print won’t be won only by the company with the fastest engine. It’ll be won by the companies that show up consistently, support the customer properly and help them make money with the technology they purchase.
Why Now?
Dealers are already diversifying. Many have moved into managed IT, managed print, laptops, displays, collaboration tools, security and other services. Production print fits that same diversification strategy but with one important distinction: it connects directly to the core document business.
This isn’t a departure from print. It’s an evolution of print.
The market signals supporting that evolution are increasingly difficult to ignore. The Taktiful/WhatTheyThink study found that 91% of respondents hold a positive view of the future of the embellishment market, with no respondents expressing a negative outlook. Nearly half described themselves as “very positive” about future growth. When combined with rising demand, proven profitability and relatively low competitive saturation, those numbers paint a picture of a market that’s still early in its growth curve. For dealers evaluating where to invest next, those are exactly the conditions that create opportunity.
The future will include toner, inkjet, workflow automation, embellishment, specialty applications, intelligent service, data-driven decision-making and more integrated business processes. Customers will need partners who can help them navigate all of it.
My message to dealers is simple: don’t wait until production print feels completely familiar. By then, the opportunity may already belong to someone else.
Yes, it requires investment. Yes, it requires education. Yes, it requires a long-term commitment. But the dealers who step into this space thoughtfully will be better positioned for the future of print, one that’s more automated, intelligent, application-driven and focused on profitability.
Production print isn’t just about adding equipment to a portfolio; it adds value to the customer relationship. And in a changing market, that may be the most important investment a dealer can make.
