May 13, 2026
Does your organization need to produce a lot of printed materials? If you do a significant amount of print marketing or you’re an educational institution, the answer is undoubtedly yes. Considering how much your current printing supplies cost and how much those costs keep going up, you might be thinking about ways to increase efficiency and lower your monthly expenses.
One of the best ways to accomplish both is to invest in a printer that’s not only up to the task — it’s designed for it.
What Is a Production Printer?
A production printer, also known as a digital press, is designed to handle high-volume jobs. There are three main types of digital presses; a brief overview of each should help you narrow down your search!
Types of Digital Presses
1. Laser
A laser printer uses a dry powder — called toner — instead of liquid ink. The toner is made of extremely small particles that are applied to paper using heat and pressure.
Why go laser? Laser printers produce very sharp, high-quality printed documents and text. This makes them great for printing materials like marketing brochures or other important papers where you want a crisp, professional look.
2. Inkjet
An inkjet digital press is basically a far more advanced, far more powerful version of the printer you probably have at home. But instead of using small ink cartridges, the digital press version will have large ink reservoirs, and the ink itself is designed to be more durable and vibrant.
Why go inkjet? For starters, they can be cheaper than laser models and still produce a high volume of printed materials very quickly. But the ink can smear if it gets wet, and your final product won’t be quite as vibrant. If you frequently need to produce long-lasting marketing materials or posters, an inkjet is probably not the best fit.
3. Lithographic
In a traditional lithographic (litho) press, an image is transferred from printing plates onto a rubber blanket cylinder, which then prints the image onto paper — or some other material. The digital version simplifies the first part of that process by transferring digital files directly onto an imaging cylinder or plate using laser imaging technology.
Why go litho? You can print on a wider variety of surfaces, and the longer the print runs, the more cost-effective a litho will be. But you probably shouldn’t invest in one unless you’ll be printing large quantities of booklets or catalogs. The setup takes longer, and you’ll also need special skills to operate it properly.
Questions To Ask Before You Buy
If you're in the market for the first time, or you're not sure your current equipment is the best fit, here's what to ask a provider before signing a deal:
What Print Production Equipment Does Your Business Already Have?
The more features you need in one device, the more expensive that device will typically be. A thorough assessment of your current printing capabilities might save you a great deal of money and help you avoid spending more for overlapping features.
If you're replacing an existing production printer, it's also helpful to know what capabilities your old device had so you can include those features in your next one!
Does Your Workspace Have Any Limitations To Keep in Mind?
Production printers have special needs! Before you buy, make sure you consider:
- The size of the printer itself, including trays
- How much additional space is needed around it
- Any special amp lines they require
- The total number of outlets needed (including peripherals)
What Kind of Printing Is Needed?
Production printers aren’t cheap, but deciding on a production printer solely based on price can be an ROI killer. Use the checklist below to indicate must-haves or nice-to-haves now and in the future, and use the “don’t need” column to help you save money on features you already have covered or that won’t help you grow your business.
Your answers to these questions can help shape your conversation with a production print specialist, and it might also help them suggest certain brands over others. For example, not all brands are known for their reliability, and if your print environment will only include one production printer, that can be the deciding factor.
Does that last bit have you worried about cost? Don’t get too worried about sticker shock …yet.
Insider tip: Because some providers have strategic partnerships with reputable manufacturers, you can get a different price on the same production printer, depending on who you buy from. You also might get an entirely different long-term experience.
What Commercial Printing Brands Are Known for Reliability?
Our go-to recommendations for production printing or wide format equipment are Konica Minolta, Fujifilm, and HP.
Konica Minolta
Konica Minolta production printing equipment may look — on the outside — like many other brands. But inside, its durable construction is known for maximizing uptime, even in busy environments. It also tends to keep a number of different departments happy when it comes to image quality, sharp text, speed, flexibility, and ease of use.
Is that the only brand we ever recommend for production printing? No, but since our success depends on making our customers happy in the long run, we tend to recommend products that will do that.
HP
If you have special wide-format printing needs, HP latex printers are known for being dependable and relatively easy to maintain. HP’s latex inks are also completely odorless, non-flammable, and contain roughly 70% water.
FUJIFILM
We were pleased to bring Fujifilm's newest production and wide-format printers to the US in 2024. Their devices are widely respected by professional printers for their ability to produce bright pinks and more natural skin tones. We also love Fujifilm's innovations in print automation and other time-savers.
And if you’re wondering whether or not we have strategic partnerships with these manufacturers, the answer is yes!
Hold on … that’s not why we’re recommending them. It’s actually the other way around. When we see brands that, time and time again, stand out as industry leaders, we reach out to form strategic partnerships with them so we can provide our customers with better service and better pricing.
What Will Your Provider Bring to the Table?
Once you find the right production printer for you, make sure you know whether your provider will offer:
- End-user training — at installation and as needed
- Insider pricing
- Responsive service
- Real-world production printing expertise
- A large inventory of OEM parts
- Proactive maintenance to avoid downtime
Your provider’s Service Level Agreement (SLA) should spell out precisely what they’re responsible for. And remember, these are often negotiable!
Insider tip: We included real-world production printing expertise on our list because while these machines are technologically advanced, we’ve discovered that someone who’s spent a lot of time in professional print shops will know some productivity and maintenance hacks that manufacturers don’t, and you won’t find in any manual.
What Should Be Outlined in a Service Level Agreement?
Your agreement should contain clear information so you’ll know exactly what to expect and you won’t be caught off guard. Before you sign anything, make sure your SLA spells out the following:
- The availability of service technicians and their level of expertise
- How service calls are handled and how quickly services are typically completed
- Your provider’s guaranteed response time
- The availability of necessary repair parts
- Your provider’s policy on using genuine repair parts vs. OEM parts
Additional Production Printer FAQs
What Is the Difference Between a Production Printer and a Standard Printer?
A production printer is designed for high-volume, high-speed printing with more advanced finishing options, like booklet making, folding, or specialty media handling.
A standard office copier/copier is built for everyday business documents. If your team consistently prints large runs of marketing materials, booklets, or variable data projects, a production printer may be a better long-term fit.
How Do I Know If My Business Needs a Production Printer?
If you’re outsourcing large print jobs regularly, experiencing slow turnaround times, or pushing your current equipment beyond its limits, it may be time. If you're on the fence, we offer free print assessments, which can help clarify whether upgrading — or reconfiguring your current fleet — makes financial and operational sense.
How Much Space and Power Does a Production Printer Require?
They can be anywhere from 8' to almost 30' in length. In addition to floor space, you may need clearance for finishing units, proper ventilation, and dedicated electrical capacity. Evaluating your physical environment before purchasing helps prevent costly installation delays or workflow disruptions.
How Long Should a Production Printer Last?
Depending on the model and how it's used, probably 5–15 years. That said, top-of-the-line devices that are maintained well can last up to 20 years! That's why we always recommend not buying a printer based on sticker price alone, and making sure your devices are maintained according to manufacturer instructions.
How To Make Your Next Steps Easy
If conducting a detailed print assessment, assessing your workplace’s constraints, and researching manufacturers and providers sounds like a lot of work, that’s because it is. It’s definitely doable, but depending on your areas of expertise, it might not be the most efficient use of your time.
You’re always welcome to chat with a member of our production print team, but since you’ve read this far, we’d also like to invite you to visit our production print showroom. If you’ll be in the Minneapolis area, click the link below to get on our schedule!
