The printing industry is in a state of flux, shaped by economic shifts, labor challenges, declining clicks, and evolving buyer behaviors. For office technology dealers, these changes present a significant opportunity. According to Andre D’Urbano, vice president of sales at RISO, the economic realities of the post-pandemic world have reshaped the production print market, making inkjet solutions more attractive than ever.
Economic Pressures Reshaping the Print Industry
According to D’Urbano, multiple economic factors have combined to put pressure on the printing industry. “During the pandemic, we saw the consolidation of paper mills, which resulted in a supply drop and price increases. Print shops had no choice but to raise prices.”
Compounding this issue is the labor market. “A lot of older [press] operators retired, and the industry hasn’t been drawing in young people. Print shops have to pay more to maintain staff,” said D’Urbano. “If they want to hire new people, they must pay even more.”
On top of that, postage rates have surged. “Postage went up in a big way last July,” observed D’Urbano. “Print shops had to tell their customers, ‘We have to charge you more.’ They weren’t being greedy—it was just the reality of the marketplace.”
These rising costs—wages, postage, and paper—have led to a new reality for print buyers. “At some point, the print buyers start saying, ‘Enough already. We need to find another way to get our message out,’” noted D’Urbano. “This has had a profound impact on the production print industry.”
The Shift Toward Distributed Print Strategies
According to D’Urbano, the rising costs have changed how businesses approach print purchases. “It’s like when you’re in college, and you’ve only got $20 in your pocket. Do you put it all in the gas tank or keep some for later? Print buyers think the same way—they’re breaking up their jobs into smaller runs.”
One example comes from a printer in upstate New York. “In 2017, they had 4,300 jobs totaling 72 million impressions,” reported D’Urbano. “In 2023, they had 8,200 jobs, but the volume was slightly down. Double the jobs for the same or less volume means they need to hire more staff to deal with twice the work but without twice the revenue.”
Because of this, print shops need a different approach. “The days of having one million-dollar press to do everything are over,” stated D’Urbano. “Instead of one big job, now they’re running eight jobs of 200,000 each. They need multiple smaller machines running simultaneously.”
Why Inkjet Is the Preferred Choice
D’Urbano is clear about why inkjet is becoming a go-to solution. “Inkjet has become a critical part of cost-saving strategies for print shops,” he said. “They are moving into smaller buildings, reducing staff where they can, and looking for ways to cut costs further. Inkjet fits perfectly into this strategy.”
RISO, in particular, has a unique advantage. “We are the only oil-based inkjet solution on the market. Everyone else uses water-based ink,” D’Urbano explained. “With water-based ink, you get buckling on the paper, so you need a dryer inside the device and a dryer de-curler at the back end. That adds about five feet of equipment. We don’t need that because our ink dries instantly, which saves space and improves efficiency.”
This small footprint is crucial. “Companies are fitting more machines into less space,” said D’Urbano. “Even fully loaded, our machines take up to 16 feet maximum, while competitors like Kyocera are 23 feet, and Canon and Xerox can be 33 feet. Space is a big deal.”
Disaster Recovery and Cybersecurity: New Considerations for Print Shops
Another factor driving investment in smaller machines is the need for disaster recovery and cybersecurity. “Disaster recovery used to be about natural disasters,” D’Urbano noted. “If you were in Florida or Oklahoma, you needed a backup site in case a hurricane or tornado hit. But now, cybersecurity has changed the game.”
Cyberattacks can cripple any business, including print shops, forcing them to pay massive ransoms to regain control of their networks. “A lot of these shops have been hacked, and they’re held hostage,” said D’Urbano. “They’ve had to build entirely separate backup centers on different servers.”
Because of this, redundancy is key. “Print shops are setting up multiple smaller devices instead of relying on one big machine,” added D’Urbano. “That way, if something happens to one, they can still keep running.”
Production Print Market Evolution and Dealer Opportunities
The shift in the production print market presents a massive opportunity for office technology dealers. “Customers who once spent a million dollars on a single machine are now buying multiple smaller devices,” said D’Urbano. “In 2025, and likely through 2026, this trend is only going to continue.”
This has led to a surge in interest in mid-range production inkjet solutions. “A few years ago, spending $200,000 on inkjet was considered high,” observed D’Urbano. “Now, customers see it as a bargain because they are used to spending a million. They’ll buy three or four instead of one massive machine. The mindset has changed.”
For dealers, this shift means an opportunity to sell more inkjet devices while helping customers optimize their workflows. “The dealers who get this—who understand the need for distributed print—are thriving,” D’Urbano said. “Those who are still stuck on selling the highest quality or the biggest machine? They’re struggling.”
The New Normal
As the print industry evolves, dealers must adapt to the new reality. The shift toward smaller, more cost-efficient devices is a massive opportunity. “This is not inflation, this is a new normal,” D’Urbano emphasized. “Print shops are changing how they operate, and how they buy print has changed.”
For office technology dealers, the opportunity is clear. “This is the time for inkjet,” said D’Urbano. “This is the time for smaller, efficient machines. The dealers who recognize that and adjust their strategies will be the ones who succeed. Dealers who embrace inkjet and distributed print will win. Those who don’t? They’ll get left behind.”
