Printing can be a commodity, but it doesn’t have to be
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It was striking to see in our most recent print service provider (PSP) surveys across the US and Western Europe how low “selling value” and “training staff” ranked as growth strategies. This marks a major shift from previous surveys, where selling value consistently ranked as the number one strategy among PSPs on both sides of the Atlantic.
So, what changed?
At a time when operating costs are rising, it’s understandable that automation has emerged as the top strategic priority. Automation increases efficiency, reduces costs, and helps businesses remain competitive in a challenging environment.
However, what is more concerning is what comes after automation. Beyond investments in digital printing, which can enable higher-value applications such as customization, many of the other top strategies appear to lean toward a commodity-driven approach.
(Source: Keypoint Intelligence 2026 ODS Primary Research US and WE)
The Commodity Trap
Expanding into new products does not necessarily mean moving into differentiated or higher-value offerings. In many cases, it may simply reflect an attempt to broaden a commodity portfolio to offset declining print volumes. The same can be said for expanding into new vertical markets or channels, which may also focus more on increasing sales of commoditized products than on creating new value.
Meanwhile, strategies tied directly to differentiation, higher-value applications, consultative selling, and staff training, ranked surprisingly low.
The problem with commodity selling is simple: it inevitably leads to price wars. And when we compete primarily on price, eventually we lose on price.
There will always be another print provider or another communication channel altogether that can offer a lower-cost alternative. Even if businesses manage to win on price temporarily, margins become so tight that just a few operational mistakes can place the business under significant pressure.
Print Is More Than Just A Product
Selling the value of print may feel difficult. Previous surveys showed that many PSPs viewed this as a major challenge; but in reality, it is less intimidating than many believe.
The key issue is that print can no longer be sold in silos based purely on product specifications or applications. The moment print is reduced to specs, formats, or even application capabilities, it becomes a commodity. Print is not simply a product. It is a communication channel designed to influence behavior and persuade people to do what marketers and communicators want them to do.
That means the value of print extends far beyond pure products, technology and applications. Its true value must be linked directly to the core objectives of marketing and communication campaigns.
Fortunately, those objectives are universal and easy to understand:
1. Capturing attention so people listen
2. Elevating perceived value of a brand and its products or services so people trust them
3. Increasing relevance and personalization so people find it more meaningful and helpful
4. Making it easier for people to buy
This fundamentally changes the conversation PSPs should be having with print buyers.
Instead of focusing on products, specs and applications, PSPs should focus on how their ideas, creativity, services, technology, and solutions link to their customers’ specific campaign objectives/imperatives to help them achieve a successful communication.
Variable data printing, embellishments, specialty finishes and substrates, QR codes, augmented reality, NFC tagging, and creative design solutions should not be sold as “features” and in silos. They should be positioned as strategic tools that improve campaign effectiveness and marketing outcomes.
When PSPs connect these capabilities to marketing objectives and ROI, they differentiate themselves from competitors and create genuine customer value, ultimately building stronger, longer-term relationships.
Value Is Prized Despite Cost Pressures
Unfortunately, print buyers are also under pressure from rising costs.
A recent Western European survey showed that many organizations are responding to print price increases by reducing print volumes, either through fewer orders or shorter run lengths. This reaction is natural. In any industry, when prices rise, purchasing volumes tend to fall.
However, the good news is that increasing the use of specialty high value printing applications previously discussed to improve campaign effectiveness and ROI ranked very low among buyer responses and therefore means that trend has not been affected by price increases.
This stays in line with previous print buyer studies in both the US and Western Europe, where only 5% of respondents said they were not interested in specialty print products.
The encouraging news is that print buyers still understand and appreciate the value of certain print applications and where and how they link to their campaign objectives. What print buyers need now is not convincing, they need constant reminding.
It is important for PSPs to remember and make clear that those high value print applications do not work for all their customers’ campaigns and target audiences’ it is imperative to understand/identify where, when and to whom those high value print applications work best in any given communication campaign.
In difficult economic periods, print buyers also naturally react defensively to rising prices. The opportunity for PSPs is to overcome those objections by taking a more strategic approach, demonstrating again where, how, and why print delivers stronger communication results and better campaign ROI.
This cannot be achieved by selling product specifications or print applications in isolation. It requires integrating print into broader marketing and communication objectives.
Value remains the key.
If the industry gives up on selling value, the risk of further print decline increases significantly. Print only becomes powerful when it creates measurable and positive results. And value has very little to do with print quality, service, or cost alone. Those elements, while important, do not guarantee successful marketing or communication outcomes.
The true value of print lies in understanding where, how, and why it works best, driving the strongest ROI for the print buyer.
To learn more about the detailed insights from our PSP surveys in the US and Western Europe, or access our Print Buyers’ Study research, log in to the InfoCenter to view these and others through our Production Print On-Demand Advisory Service. Not a subscriber? Contact us for more information.