When a company—whether it’s a dealer, distributor or other reseller—has forged a strong, mutually respected partnership with a manufacturer, it makes it so much easier to delve into a new category with that OEM. It’s that trust and track record that lessens the hesitation, and a prime example of this is the long-term engagement between HP and Distribution Management.
When the opportunity arose to add HP’s Transactional DesignJet hardware line to its portfolio, Distribution Management capitalized on it as another part of the journey to assembling the most comprehensive print catalog for the reseller community. As product lines go, large-format has a solid niche of markets and applications, but there are more than you may think.
On the heels of the recent announcement, we sat down with Ted Gruener, senior vice president of sales for Distribution Management, for the latest segment of Two-Minute Drill to find out more about the motivation for adding large-format, the opportunities that exist within the market, and its commitment of resources to deepening knowledge and expertise.
What was the impetus behind adding Large Format HP DesignJet printers to your product stable?
Gruener: Product expansion within the print space has always been a strategic priority for us. We began with ink and toner, expanded into A3 and A4 equipment, and have now added large-format transactional HP DesignJet. It’s a natural progression as we continue to build the most comprehensive print portfolio in the market. Leveraging our long-standing relationship with HP allows us to explore additional areas of print, including large-format printers, ink and media while staying true to our core and aligned with market evolution.
What can you tell us about your relationship with HP? Tell us a little about your collaboration efforts in becoming proficient with the equipment. Was there a learning curve for DM?
Gruener: Our relationship with HP spans decades and has always been rooted in mutual growth and expansion. In 2025, we were honored to be named HP’s U.S. Distributor of the Year for both supplies and hardware, a recognition that underscores our commitment to innovation and delivering best-in-class solutions to HP and its customers. As we evaluated adding large-format print to our portfolio, we knew it would require that same level of commitment to truly provide value to the market. As with any product expansion, there’s a learning curve and we’ve invested accordingly, bringing on industry veteran Kevin Howes to our business development team, deepening our knowledge through HP training, and empowering our BDMs, account managers and equipment advisors to do what they do best: become experts in the product line and manufacturer programs so they can fully support our customers.
Plotters are popular within the AEC, GIS and MCAD communities. How would you characterize this market, and what do you think of the potential to grow the large-format line? Are you offering specialized substrates?
Gruener: The AEC, GIS and MCAD communities continue to anchor the technical large-format category, and HP’s DesignJet and PageWide platforms remain the clear leaders in that space. However, with the addition of the HP Z6 and Z9 series, dealers have the opportunity to expand well beyond traditional CAD. These devices open the door to higher-value graphics segments, including retail and in‑store marketing, creative agencies, photo and fine‑art providers, prepress and packaging, and corporate design studios. These customers print more color, consume more ink per square foot, and rely on a broader range of substrates, which directly improves dealer margin and recurring revenue.
On substrates, we’re starting with the high‑velocity technical media that drive everyday AEC demand, and expanding into photo‑grade, adhesive, and specialty materials aligned with Z‑Series applications. The goal is to help dealers grow their HP business across both technical and graphics categories while reducing operational friction. When dealers can confidently sell into more verticals with a single HP‑aligned distribution partner, everyone wins—HP, the channel, and the end customer.
Is this a gateway product that can lead to other large- and wide-format equipment and OEM relationships? What are the long-term goals in this area?
Gruener: That’s difficult to comment on at this time, but we intend to build a comprehensive offering of manufacturers, products, and services to establish DM as the primary destination for resellers that participate in this market. The timing of those expansions is difficult to predict or comment on until they are in place and ready to share.
