If you have a talent for design, you might as well put it to good use and start your own digital printing business. Not familiar with this type of business? Don’t worry. In this article, we’re going to be talking about why you should start a digital printing business–and the equipment you need to do so.
What is digital printing?
First things first, let’s define what digital printing is. Digital printing is the process of transferring digital images directly onto various types of media, such as paper, canvas, fabric, and card stock, among others. It is an ideal and cost-effective option for customers who only need low volumes of printed products because there is no need to make printing plates, unlike mass-producing printing methods. Apart from being relatively inexpensive, digital printing generally has a short turnaround time, which is advantageous for customers who need their orders ASAP.
Why should you start a digital printing business?
If you’re on the fence about starting your own digital printing business, here are the reasons that can convince you to take the plunge:
1. A digital printing business requires minimal investment
You don’t have to have a huge capital to start your own printing business. It can even be considered a low-investment, high-ROI kind of business, especially when compared with other printing methods. So even if you don’t have much money to invest, it’s still very much possible to start a small-scale digital printing business of your own. But if you are going to buy additional equipment like Sooper Ace Grommet Machine, you might need to increase your initial capital.
2. The digital printing process is easy
With digital printing, there is no need for printing plates, photo chemicals, special inks, and other equipment types that can be expensive and difficult to work with. Digital printers are relatively easy to use. Plus, the resulting colors of prints are clean, vivid, and consistent throughout the material.
3. Digital printing is quick
Aside from being very easy to execute, the process of digital printing is also swift. This means that you can work efficiently and make room for more orders as you go along. And of course, more orders mean more revenue for your business.
4. There are a lot of products you can offer
The digital printing process is also very versatile. With a digital printer, you can print on a wide variety of media, including photo paper, card stock, canvas, synthetics, fabric, and many other substrates. That said, there are a lot of products you can offer to your customers, such as:
- Product labels
- Restaurant menus
- Invitations
- Message cards
- Flyers and brochures
- Postcards
- Custom envelopes
- T-shirts
- Tote bags
- Certificates
- IDs
- Business cards
- Legal documents
- Memo pads
- Custom notebooks
- Planners and calendars
5. The demand is constant
We’re not saying that you’re going to get customers every day; what we’re saying is that there will always be a demand for digital printing services. It just boils down to how you’re going to compete with your competitors when it comes to making your business successful.
What you need to start a digital printing business
You’ve made it this far, so you’re probably convinced to start your own digital printing business. As we’ve said before, starting a digital printing business requires a relatively small investment. But keep in mind that the quality of your equipment will ultimately determine the quality of your results, so avoid bootstrapping your budget too much.
To get started, here are the basic pieces of equipment that you need:
Printer
Obviously, the most important piece of equipment for this type of business is a printer. Most digital printing businesses start with a professional laser and inkjet printer. This type of printer is limited to standard size documents, but it is very flexible and easy to use. As your business grows, you can invest in wide format printers (for bigger material) and garment printers to further vary the types of products you offer.
Computer and design software
You’ll also need a powerful computer to handle the graphic design software of your choice. Moreover, you will also need a lot of storage since design files tend to eat up a lot of memory.
Cutting tool
Expect to cut a lot of paper when running a digital printing business. For that, you will need a cutting system, either manual or automatic (if you’re on a tight budget, start with a manual cutter).
Laminator
It’s also a good idea to invest in a laminator so you can offer lamination services to your customers.
As you can see, starting a digital printing business is relatively easy and inexpensive. If you think this might be a good investment for you, start making your business plan today and use this article as a guide when figuring out the essentials.
