{"id":70878,"date":"2026-09-17T15:18:34","date_gmt":"2026-09-17T22:18:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/?p=70878"},"modified":"2026-09-17T15:18:35","modified_gmt":"2026-09-17T22:18:35","slug":"driving-demand-dealers-talk-best-growth-segments-for-production","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/the-week-in-imaging-twii\/editors-blog\/2026\/09\/driving-demand-dealers-talk-best-growth-segments-for-production\/","title":{"rendered":"Driving Demand: Dealers Talk Best Growth Segments for Production"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

One of the best attributes that accompany the production print portfolio is the myriad market opportunities and the subsets of offerings within them. Commercial\/P4P operations, in-plants, package printers, labeling\/bar coding and marketing departments are mostly well-versed in technologies, so there\u2019s not a lot of hand-holding. They seek automation, quicker turns and great service support, because downtime can be brutal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As we continue this month\u2019s State of the Industry report on production print, we ask our dealer panel to share their most fertile markets as well as the roles they play in maximizing value for these clients. It\u2019s not always about selling huge hardware, but rather providing guidance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Deb Dellaposta,
Doing Better Business<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

For Doing Better Business, the best opportunities lie in getting customers to rethink how information moves through their organization. Efficiency is at the top of organization\u2019s want list, according to Debra Dellaposta, president and CEO. While some documents still belong on paper and others should be digital from the get-go, her company is charged with helping clients decide when to print and when to automate. Showing them how technologies like workflow automation and AI can eliminate manual processes is key for the Altoona, Pennsylvania-based dealer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI believe the providers that will experience the most growth over the next decade won’t necessarily be the ones selling the most production equipment,\u201d she said. \u201cThey’ll be the ones helping customers improve business processes, automate workflows, and use technology more strategically.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Troy Olson,
Les Olson IT<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Helping clients modernize their production workflows is a prime opportunity in the eyes of Troy Olson, owner of Les Olson IT in Salt Lake City. Olson points out that a large percentage of organizations still rely on manual processes that can foster bottlenecks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBy combining production hardware with workflow automation, finishing solutions, and software integration, we can significantly improve efficiency and reduce operating costs,\u201d he noted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other fertile segments in Olson\u2019s estimation include commercial printers seeking to bolster digital capabilities. There\u2019s also the benefit in bringing jobs in-house, which allows clients to have better control, lowering the costs of farming out jobs and reducing turnaround times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAs technology continues to advance, customers are looking for trusted advisors who can help them navigate those investments\u2014and that\u2019s where we believe Les Olson Company brings tremendous value,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Steohanie Keating Phillips
Advanced Imaging Solutions<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

At Advanced Imaging Solutions (AIS), the focus is digging deeper into existing relationships. It\u2019s not just about  bolstering production unit sales; it\u2019s circling back to those clients to discuss finishing equipment, software and any other items that weren\u2019t part of an original sale, notes Stephanie Keating Phillips, director of production print and solutions for the Minnetonka, Minnesota-based dealer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

M&A movement and repositioning in both the dealer and manufacturer realms has some clients suffering the sting of change, and she sees that as an opening dealers can capitalize upon. As a multi-line dealer, AIS further benefits from an ever-expanding portfolio. Phillips noted how Sharp\u2019s enhanced catalog has made it an even more attractive option.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Underdeveloped segments can also provide opportunities. \u201cWe must continue to grow in those worlds where we\u2019re kind of dabbling in them but not fully entrenched, like transactional data and the inkjet world,\u201d Phillips said. \u201cIn a couple years, we\u2019ll have our own fully functioning team to sell digital presses that are able to do the larger formats.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Jeff Presnall, Datamax<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Many of Datamax\u2019s customers on the production side lean toward the smaller side, thus tend to be commoditized. Jeff Presnall, production specialist, notes that helping them specialize in higher-margin areas has been key to success. Short-run labels, personalized packaging, envelope printing and specialty wide-format are other solid sectors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI believe leveraging data in their offerings is a huge opportunity for our market, which is relatively small and without many $5 million-plus print organizations,\u201d he noted. \u201cUsing data in upstream software to increase efficiency, target specific customer groups, make decisions and connect with customers is a significant opportunity.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

One of the best attributes that accompany the production print portfolio is the myriad market opportunities and the subsets of offerings within them. Commercial\/P4P operations, in-plants, package printers, labeling\/bar coding and marketing departments are mostly well-versed in technologies, so there\u2019s not a lot of hand-holding. They seek automation, quicker turns and great service support, because downtime can be brutal. As we continue this month\u2019s State of the Industry report on production print, we ask our dealer panel to share their most fertile markets as well as the roles they play in maximizing value for these clients. It\u2019s not always about selling huge hardware, but rather providing guidance. For Doing Better Business, the best opportunities lie in getting customers to rethink how information moves through their organization. Efficiency is at the top of organization\u2019s want list, according to Debra Dellaposta, president and CEO. While some documents still belong on paper and others should be digital from the get-go, her company is charged with helping clients decide when to print and when to automate. Showing them how technologies like workflow automation and AI can eliminate manual processes is key for the Altoona, Pennsylvania-based dealer. \u201cI believe the providers that will experience the most growth over the next decade won’t necessarily be the ones selling the most production equipment,\u201d she said. \u201cThey’ll be the ones helping customers improve business processes, automate workflows, and use technology more strategically.\u201d Helping clients modernize their production workflows is a prime opportunity in the eyes of Troy Olson, owner of Les Olson IT in Salt Lake City. Olson points out that a large percentage of organizations still rely on manual processes that can foster bottlenecks. \u201cBy combining production hardware with workflow automation, finishing solutions, and software integration, we can significantly improve efficiency and reduce operating costs,\u201d he noted. Other fertile segments in Olson\u2019s estimation include commercial printers seeking to bolster digital capabilities. There\u2019s also the benefit in bringing jobs in-house, which allows clients to have better control, lowering the costs of farming out jobs and reducing turnaround times. \u201cAs technology continues to advance, customers are looking for trusted advisors who can help them navigate those investments\u2014and that\u2019s where we believe Les Olson Company brings tremendous value,\u201d he said. At Advanced Imaging Solutions (AIS), the focus is digging deeper into existing relationships. It\u2019s not just about  bolstering production unit sales; it\u2019s circling back to those clients to discuss finishing equipment, software and any other items that weren\u2019t part of an original sale, notes Stephanie Keating Phillips, director of production print and solutions for the Minnetonka, Minnesota-based dealer. M&A movement and repositioning in both the dealer and manufacturer realms has some clients suffering the sting of change, and she sees that as an opening dealers can capitalize upon. As a multi-line dealer, AIS further benefits from an ever-expanding portfolio. Phillips noted how Sharp\u2019s enhanced catalog has made it an even more attractive option. Underdeveloped segments can also provide opportunities. \u201cWe must continue to grow in those worlds where we\u2019re kind of dabbling in them but not fully entrenched, like transactional data and the inkjet world,\u201d Phillips said. \u201cIn a couple years, we\u2019ll have our own fully functioning team to sell digital presses that are able to do the larger formats.\u201d Many of Datamax\u2019s customers on the production side lean toward the smaller side, thus tend to be commoditized. Jeff Presnall, production specialist, notes that helping them specialize in higher-margin areas has been key to success. Short-run labels, personalized packaging, envelope printing and specialty wide-format are other solid sectors. \u201cI believe leveraging data in their offerings is a huge opportunity for our market, which is relatively small and without many $5 million-plus print organizations,\u201d he noted. \u201cUsing data in upstream software to increase efficiency, target specific customer groups, make decisions and connect with customers is a significant opportunity.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":166,"featured_media":70879,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[80,1650,82,4729,1638],"tags":[98,2170,2897,4400],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70878"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/166"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=70878"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70878\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":70880,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70878\/revisions\/70880"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/70879"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=70878"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=70878"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=70878"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}