Print in the Channel - October 2022

COMMENT

Challenges and opportunities Welcome to the first issue of Print in the Channel .

Print in the Channel is a new magazine aimed at everyone who is involved with the print sector, from manufacturers to dealers, and will cover everything involved in it, from topical issues to the latest news, product launches and features. Our launch issue comes at an interesting time for the print sector, and the wider economy in general. With troubles in the economy – rising inflation, energy prices etc – affecting business confidence, it means there are new challenges and opportunities for companies in the sector. This comes on top of existing issues. As Alex Tatham notes on p18, the market for traditional print continues to decline – accelerated by the pandemic and the resulting changes in working practices – but there are still plenty of opportunities out there for businesses if they are bold enough to take the chance and make changes to what they do and sell. For instance, demand for mobile scanners continues to grow. For hybrid workers, getting equipment that is on a par with that they would use in the office is becoming a necessity and these devices, which have a smaller footprint than their office-based brethren, can do just that. Read more about that on p28. Then there are other areas of print that are growing, such as for labels, and for security products to keep networked devices safe to name but two. All these are set for growth for the foreseeable future. There are also new products being launched, such as HP’s E800/E700 series, which has been designed

to cater for hybrid working, as well as catering to increasing demand for secure printing and greater sustainability throughout the product’s lifecycle. This goes to show that, despite the economic and sector-specific challenges present currently – and which show no signs of abating in the immediate future – there are still plenty of causes for optimism for the future of the sector and the businesses operating within it. And, as the past two years have shown, businesses in the sector can adapt quickly to new ways of working and trends to ensure that they keep on making money and providing the services that customers want and need. Here at Print in the Channel , we want to help businesses in the sector to do just that. In the coming issues we will be covering the latest innovations along with insights into the industry from leading players and features containing practical advice that can be applied to your business – whether that is sales tips, new products to feature or ways to run more efficiently and more – to help you to not just survive but thrive, now and in the future. I hope you enjoy the issue. If you have any feedback or suggestions for what you would like to see covered in future issues – and we are always on the lookout for thought leadership pieces, features and the like – please email me at dan@printinthechannel.com

Dan Parton

printinthechannel.co.uk

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