In-plants Reflect on Wide-format Summit Experience

In August, the 4^th annual Wide-format Summit wrapped up in Aventura, Florida, near Miami. More in-plants than ever attended the event, modeled after the successful Inkjet Summit, to expand their knowledge about wide-format printing technology and learn how to improve their wide-format businesses.

Sessions covered key trends driving wide-format growth, how to maximize wide-format sales, the effect of AI on the industry, the digital signage opportunity, sustainability, change management, textile printing for apparel, décor, and soft signage, and the challenges of managing impaired employees.

Though originally targeted at high-volume wide-format producers, the Wide-format Summit has opened its doors in recent years to more in-plants in recognition of the rapid growth of wide-format printing in their operations. Managers from the Sherwin Williams Co., Yale University, Omaha Public Schools, and others attended this year, and came away with great ideas and inspiration.

Mike Chaplin

“I was excited to attend in order to spend some time with representatives from a variety of vendors,” says Mike Chaplin, director of Print & Mail Services at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln. “Even though it was three days away from the office, having access to so many vendors is really a time saver compared to scheduling appointments with each of them individually.”

Nick Smith

“We recognize that there is potential within our company to expand our department and offer wide-format services beyond posters and decals. The purpose for attending was to gain real world experiences through vendors and like-minded companies on where to kick off this journey,” remarks Nick Smith, print production manager for Sherwin Williams Print and Mail Distribution, in Cleveland, Ohio.

Justin Van Nest

“When I took over managing the shop, we were primarily a copy center that occasionally did banners and posters on one wide-format machine. We have since gotten rid of that machine and added two Mimaki roll-to-roll printers and a Mutoh flatbed,” says Justin Van Nest, communications and printing operations manager at Oklahoma City Community College. “We want to expand the capabilities of our shop to do more flatbed printing.”

The summit is presented by PRINTING United Alliance and Wide-format Impressions, and is supported by more than 40 sponsoring companies, including Keynote Sponsors Agfa, Canon, FUJIFILM, and HP. The in-plant managers who attended had a great opportunity to meet with those sponsors and develop closer relationships.

Nikki Hiller

“I was introduced to many vendors that all had a niche in the industry,” says Nikki Hiller, administrator of Printing and Publications & Mail for Omaha Public Schools, in Omaha, Nebraska. “I felt it opened my eyes to all the different manufacturers and let me have a deeper conversation on how each machine can produce in our environment.”

“Chris White, who is the Grand Format Manager at Lithographix, was one of the individuals in my breakout group who made himself available to answer any questions at the Summit and even sent an email to everyone in our group with his contact information for any future questions. That’s the kind of opportunity the Summit provides,” lauds Chaplin. “Without attending, I probably wouldn’t have had the chance to connect with a manager from a California wide-format shop. Additionally, all the vendors were fantastic to talk with, despite our limited presence in the wide-format arena.”

Marco Boer gave attendees of the Wide-format Summit a look at some of the key trends driving the industry.

The relationships developed at the Wide-format Summit will continue to benefit managers long beyond the Summit.

“It was great to connect with Justin [Van Nest] from the Oklahoma City Community College and hear his successes,” reflects Smith. “We also gained great local resources for our overflow needs with Luke from TKM Print Solutions and George from Printing Concepts.”

“I talked with several other in-plant managers and found that we have several of the same issues that we can help each other with,” says Van Nest. “It is good to have a sounding board of those that are in similar situations as you, and are growing the same as you. I also met a local print shop owner who we can turn to if we need assistance with a job that we are not capable of doing. We also have services that we offer that they cannot do. It will be a mutually beneficial to us in our work.”

Like all attendees, these in-plant managers had a lot of great takeaways from the Wide-format Summit.

“I learned more about streamlining process, how the industry produces [wide-format], the changes AI is bringing … and how the finishing products, robotics or nonmanual, are helping ease the flow of production,” says Hiller.

“I learned that the machines I currently am using have capabilities beyond what we have been using them for,” says Van Nest. “There are several services we will be able to add to what we already offer without adding equipment.”

“A tremendous takeaway from the Summit was recognizing there are plenty of out-of-the-box solutions for hurdles we face as an in-plant printer,” adds Smith.

"The flatbed market is evolving at a rapid pace and there are so many varieties of machines with tons of different capabilities," notes Mario Maselli, of Yale University's in-plant. "My first thought was to find a machine that does it all. I quickly learned that’s the wrong way to approach this process. Talking with my case study group helped me get a better handle on what is needed for our operation. Especially understanding the different types of flatbeds and hybrid styles.

"I was impressed with Simon from Print Factory and to learn more about color management and consistency," Maselli continues. "I was fortunate to find some time and sit with him and share some of my struggles with color management. We sat for almost an hour and gave me some great ideas and direction. Simon gave me great advice on equipment too. He wasn’t trying to sell me on his product. Print Factory is an amazing software and I’m very interested to continue the discussion with Simon and see how we can incorporate their products once we get settled with our new flatbed and CNC cutter."

“One key takeaway for me is that I still have much to learn about wide-format,” admits Chaplin. “Although we’ve only dabbled in it so far, it was invaluable to network with seasoned professionals in the field and seek their advice on our next steps for expanding our offerings and capabilities. Given our limited budget for new equipment, their insights were particularly beneficial and the highlight of my experience.”

Attending the Summit helped these in-plant managers make decisions about future wide-format investments in their shops.

“Based on conversations I had with vendors and other attendees, our next step will be the purchase of a flatbed cutter,” says Chaplin. “Eventually, we would like to add a flat a flatbed printer to give us greater productivity at a lower ink cost.”

“There are several flatbed and hybrid solutions we are looking at,” reveals Van Nest. “We hope to add one of these to our portfolio of equipment in the next few months. The Wide-format Summit actually made the decision process a little more difficult in that there are new options that were not considered in the past, that are more accessible to our shop than we anticipated. There are other options that could meet our needs with either a lower cost or smaller footprint.”

"We are planning to purchase a flatbed printer and CNC cutter to complement it," says Maselli. "We ended our FY24 with a surplus and are fortunate to use some of those funds to make this purchase a reality. Our team at Yale is super excited to enter this journey. We know it will be tons of research and not easy at all, but we are up for it. Personally, for me, this has been a dream, and can’t wait to get started to offer new features and offer our community at Yale new and innovative products."

“We have not finalized our plans for the future at this time, but we are extremely interested in some of the Canon and Zund equipment,” says Smith, “as well as the ERP solutions through Clients First – PrintVis.”

The Wide-format Summit is a free, all-inclusive experience for qualified attendees who want to understand how wide-format printing technology, software and solutions will impact their business. The Summit offers strategic-level insights into what printing industry leaders can do to improve and optimize their business. In-plant managers interested in attending the 2025 Summit can submit their names now at this link.