With AMPLIFY Print coming up in June, I wanted to take an opportunity to discuss the customer value and return on investment that digital embellishment offers to print shop owners and print services providers (PSPs). Commercial printers, PSPs, wide-format printers, the packaging industry and providers of decorated apparel are all facing the same key challenges: changing economic conditions, declining traditional print usage by clients, price competition, maintaining profitability and hiring staff.
A large segment is already responding by investing in automation, diversifying services and expanding into adjacent print segments. Many PSPs are also extending and adding to their in-house services, including list management, direct mailing and fulfillment, to become a value-added supplier to their clients.
At Konica Minolta, we understand that current economic variables could be making you hesitate to invest in new technology right now. Some of you may still think of digital embellishment as a premium offering, too. But “he who waits is lost,” which is another way to say, isn’t it time to elevate your services to your customers (if you haven’t already), so your business doesn’t get left behind? Especially with the latest research showing an expected acceleration of the economy in late 2025 and into 2026.
As the information- and metrics-packed NAPCO Research webinar I attended this past March showed, digital embellishment is in high demand. Research shows that the global market in embellishments is growing at 6-8% annually and has become the baseline – with the specialty print market projected to grow to $45B by 2028.
All the data we’ve seen prove that demand will only increase, because print clients have shown they can help set themselves apart with premium printed products that command attention. In turn, digital embellishment services can offer higher margins and increased profitability, with our own research showing that specialty print projects deliver 20-30% higher profit margins – even as high as 80%.
This is no time to hesitate! Here are three of the most compelling reasons to embrace digital embellishment as you move your business forward.
Reason #1: Consumer preference is driving brands to luxury looks. Why? Enhancements attract attention and make people happy, and embellishments provide novel experiences that are both visual and often tactile, especially with foils, embossing and special varnishes. In turn, an eye-catching and sensory combination creates purchase appeal and drives greater purchases, which makes the case for higher margins. Leveraging human psychology (and showing customers what you can produce) are the keys to selling more embellishments, whether you specialize in collateral, wide-format or packaging.
Enhancing a product’s packaging creates a sensorial experience that first attracts the eye. Then, a consumer is more inclined to pick up the product to touch and hold it. A study from Total Retail showed that 30% of all products that shoppers hold are purchased – and 56% of shoppers that hold a product will buy a product in that category. Your clients want to be the product that stands out in their category.
So, consider what typically happens in the sales process of selling embellishments. As part of the sales process to add value with embellishment, savvy print shops produce one version of a customer sample with embellishment – and one without – most often watching their client choose the sample with added features.
Another adoption strategy has been to offer brand clients a limited print run of a job at no charge – such as a brochure – then add something extra, like a tip-in with a call to action. That addition can help the brand owner track and follow up new sales to enhance lead generation. Once that client experiences the results, the reorder rates can be amazing – up to 80%. The response rates for embellished direct mail can also see a major boost. And the momentum builds from there, especially if a concerted effort is made to market and promote embellishment capabilities. So, while your clients may not be asking for embellishments right now, showing and sampling embellishment jobs is so important to differentiating your business and creating demand. The great thing about digital equipment is that it makes prototyping and experimenting with variations for your clients – even for one-offs – fast and affordable.
One of Konica Minolta’s MGI JETvarnish 3D Web customers, Pyramidor Printing, a label and packaging in Brissac-Quincé, France, installed a JETvarnish 3D Web digital finishing press in January 2019. This 30-person shop has since opened up new markets with self-adhesive labels, commercial documentation, menus, custom-made trays and packaging, in addition to sophisticated boxes. Along with their traditional sheet-fed and roll-to-roll equipment, the JETvarnish 3D Web press has expanded the possibilities for their large range of clients in the food industry, including chocolatiers and pastry shops. Pyramidor’s decision to increase their embellishment offerings was even more important, as their clients were already waiting for the types of services the JETvarnish 3DWeb could provide. “Our clients were very keen on spot varnishing and hot foil stamping, embellishments that are emblematic for manufacturers in the chocolate, gourmet and pastry markets,” said owner Benoît Boret.
I think we may want to ask ourselves this question: “What if embellishments aren’t just an extra – what if they are simply the default?” That differentiator can change everything, not only in your client’s perception of the output you produce, but also in your ability to increase sales and profit margins. According to the FSEA, embellished printed pieces are 2.5 times more attractive to consumers, and especially when it comes to packaging, consumers view packages with print enhancement as 46% higher in quality.
Reason #2: Digital embellishment insulates your future. The market is already demanding and dictating new print applications. Brands, and the creative designers behind them, constantly need to find ways to set themselves apart from the competition. While specialty treatments aren’t new to printing, digital embellishments are, and many print buyers are already using specialty print. Research conducted by NAPCO on adding value to digital printing revealed that almost half of print provider respondents that offer digital printing report enhancing digital print with special effects, while another 23% plan to add it. Even better, digital embellishments offer so much more capability for customization and personalization, more quickly and easily than ever – plus digital is more scalable and more affordable than traditional methods. This provides real advantages in the go-to-market plans for all types of clients and brands.
When it comes to printers and converters, their key challenges involve the efficiency side of their production process. Their number one challenge was change-over times between jobs, with almost 50% of these respondents citing this challenge. Just below that, keeping up with increased package versions and the increasing number of SKUs were the next two top challenges. Their answer to enhancing efficiency has been to invest in digital printing equipment, add digital finishing and converting equipment, and invest in or upgrade workflow management software to streamline their production processes.
While digital may still be a small fraction of total printed output, it’s notable that those who have invested in digital machines have not necessarily done it to replace equipment. They’re aligning their technologies, conventional and digital, to coexist together. This allows them to take on short-run jobs and quick change-ups for different SKUs, while their conventional machinery can take on the big, long-run jobs, especially in the label and packaging segments. But as these trends continue, making sure to optimize with the right digital and conventional technologies will make the most sense to produce work most efficiently.
As I’m sure you’re aware, another challenge for just about every print shop and converter has been staffing. This is also where digital helps to insulate your future. Since many early-career professionals you may want to hire start out as graphic designers, digital embellishment capabilities intrigue them, and the quick start time involved in operating digital devices is a huge plus, since many processes, including quality control, are automated. And while commercial printing still involves operating industrial equipment, the ease of use offered by digital printing presses has really evolved. For the majority of people out there, computer-savvy or not, once they start using digital presses and embellishment systems, they can hit the ground running after a very short training period.
At Konica Minolta, we have a full lineup of digital devices that offer ease of use to help you introduce new print applications and embellishments to your clients. In turn, this appealing output can help their customers achieve higher profiles for their products on the shelf and online, and increased sales in their respective category.
Every Konica Minolta embellishment solution, from the AccurioShine 3600 to its JETvarnish Evolution industrial digital embellishment systems, uses award-winning 2D/3D spot UV and variable digital hot foil capabilities to provide the most flexibility for all print applications. For ultimate productivity and lean manufacturing, the MGI AlphaJET and the JETVarnish 3D Web 400 provide single-pass embellishment streams to simplify manufacturing processes and reduce time-to-market, while transforming the impact of their labels and packaging – all in full compliance with clients’ environmental strategies. Our standalone, upstream-agnostic and scalable portfolio can tackle every project, whether you use toner, offset or inkjet, across sheetfed and roll-to-roll.
This leads us to the next reason to keep digital embellishment at the forefront of your strategies and plans for technology investments this year and beyond.
Reason #3: You can’t afford to wait. Among the 295 respondents from the PRINTING United Alliance State of the Industry Survey at the end of 2024, 74.5% have already diversified beyond their primary printing business. They recognize the need to invest in automation and production speed, for “a perpetual process of streamlining and improving systems to reduce cost.” Increasing online order submission and finishing are the top two areas where they want to increase productivity.
This is especially true for packaging printers and converters who cater to brand owners. In addition to label and packaging printers and converters, the NAPCO research mentioned above included responses from brand owners, which provided some significant findings. One of the questions asked of brand owners was to describe the quantity of SKUs they had printed over the past 24 months. Back in 2023, 41% stated that their SKUs had increased over the preceding two years, which reflected two years that included the pandemic. But in last year’s brand survey that percentage jumped from 41% to 79%—in just two years. The demand for distinctive packaging and versioning is clearly on the rise. Brands are looking to increase their SKUs, expand their product lines and use more personalization and customization with versioning to create more highly targeted marketing. Digital embellishment makes all of this possible, faster and more affordably, with outstanding quality and precision in graphics, type fonts and imagery.
Sustainability is also a big consideration for brand owners. Data presented during the NAPCO Research webinar showed a strong understanding of current regulations and legislation in this sector. In addition, 87% of brand respondents stated that sustainability was either essential or very important in choosing a label or packaging printer. And three-quarters of brand respondents said it was either essential or very important that their suppliers can provide documented sustainability information and environmental records – they want actual numbers, not just a call-out on a supplier’s website.
So why offer just commodity print? At Konica Minolta, we believe embellishment IS the default. It’s not optional. Study after study shows that it attracts more attention and more purchases, because consumers (and your clients) expect a captivating experience from you. Digital output’s quality often rivals offset. Changeover times between jobs is much quicker, and it’s faster and easier to meet demanding schedules and increase the number of jobs in-house. Adding digital equipment can augment your traditional equipment’s capabilities, expanding options for your clients. Digital processes reduce materials and waste, increase the types of substrates you can use, and help you meet sustainability requirements. Plus, because digital equipment offers automated processes and is easy to use, you can do more with fewer staff and attract younger workers who are drawn to new technologies. The future is digital – and embellishment.
Please join us at AMPLIFY Print, June 10-12, Booth #4517 at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, IL. I’ll be there, and hope to see you, too. Konica Minolta’s team is ready to show you lots of amazing examples produced on our lineup of digital equipment, and explain how embellishment can help you grow, profit and shape the future of your business.
