Color printing is standard in marketing, advertising, healthcare, education and entertainment. These industries have clear-cut rationale for full-color printing, and its popularity and benefits only increase over time. Whether or not to include color printing capabilities is no longer in question. However, there is one area of industry where color printing’s value isn’t yet fully realized.
Wide format printers are ubiquitous within the construction industry. Their ability to print planning documents in precise detail is irreplaceable. Despite advancements in color printing, in terms of quality, efficiency and ease, many areas of the construction industry continue using black-and-white prints. However, color printing adds value to planning documents in multiple ways that likely outweigh the costs.
Communicate More Effectively
There’s no denying that productivity remains a top priority throughout any construction project’s lifecycle. In an industry survey, 32 percent of those surveyed cited poor communication and collaboration as a leading obstacle to partner-related productivity. Taking a construction project from concept to completion involves combining input from many individuals.
Each time information changes hands, the possibility for mistakes increases. Including color printing improves understanding and retention, which decreases the rate of human error. Focusing on error reduction translates to saved time and less waste. In construction, waste is the enemy. Wasted activities such as schedule overruns, inaccurate coordination, wasted labor and management, wasted materials and unnecessary litigation make up 10-30 percent of building and project costs.
How Printing in Color Can Help
Simply put, printing in color is effective. When projects are digitally designed, they’re in color. It’s just when the printing occurs that black-and-white becomes the norm. As plans increase in complexity, colors become standardized and contribute meaning. For example, electrical components may be yellow and water pipes blue. This type of color-coding contributes to understanding, making processes easier and faster.
Color printing allows for faster and better understanding when reading complex documents. All these benefits directly affect your project’s ROI (Return on Investment). A Lyra Research Inc. study found that every one dollar invested into color printing can yield up to four dollars in project savings.
Color Printing Saves Time and Money
When considering whether or not color printing is right for your construction projects, think about how a little more upfront cost can lead to a smoother process, less waste and more savings throughout the project’s lifecycle. Consider enabling your wide format printer with color printing capabilities to increase your project profitability.
