The printing industry is an ever changing landscape. Printing giants like Kodak, Agfa, Fujifilm and many more, are terminating analogue machines and are taking by storm revolutionary, digital technology. All of that is nice and dandy, but what about small-time businesses who are still using the analogue prepress/plateroom machines for their business? If they need support in times of need, they might be in trouble.

Technology is a great thing, and change is a part of our every-day life. But we need to dig deeper into the bright minds of the Printing Industry to understand the field as it is – a competition. While the companies’ inventors and engineers are definitely motivated by pushing forward the envelope of the printing capabilities – they are also interested in outrunning their competitors as well as impressing the end client, with the most innovative, shiny-looking and futuristic digital technology. In other words, they might not be thinking of your best interest necessarily. We have seen this with phones, computers, and even furniture. The printing industry, honestly speaking, is no different to this pattern of a competitive market.

Most business owners who deal with prepress/plateroom machines are not so keen to change their entire production line so fast. They might not be able to afford such a drastic change, or maybe it’s a simpler reason – they are perfectly happy with their current machinery, even after over 20 years of production. What’s left is this absurd situation within the industry, where a business owner might face technical problems with machinery that is not being supported by the manufacturers anymore. What more, the new machinery might still be in beta, where even the manufacturer’s technicians are not familiar with all of the possible problems that might occur with it.

For these situations, a middle-ground player like a contracted-expert with 24/7 support might come in handy. Actually, some players provide non-contracted services, handling and fixing your problems either on-site and/or remotely via the internet. Depending on your malfunction, by taking control of your computer remotely, they can analyse the problem and find the best solutions for you. These players are usually very familiar with your machinery, with more than 25 years of experience in the field. They started a long time ago as bright young minds and printing enthusiasts themselves, and with their knowledge and expertise; your machinery might continue to serve as a perfect fit for you.

To sum it up, before we make hasty decisions and change our entire production lines with expensive, new technology, we need to understand that A: You are not always the printing giants’ top priority, and B: A third party player is something worth considering.