The Evolution of Wide-Format

This column is the first in a monthly series highlighting trends, happenings, and markets in the wide-format graphics industry, and it comes at a time when the wide-format printing segment, as we know it, has changed. And I believe it has changed for the better.

But first, if you’ve been a subscriber of Wide-format Impressions (WFI) and have looked for that print publication to arrive in your mailbox (or on your desk), then you will find that information here moving forward. That’s right: For printed output, WFI’s new home is in the pages of Printing Impressions.

No Longer a Siloed Specialty

In one simple word, convergence has had a profound effect on the printing industry writ large. In the 2025 Wide-format Impressions 150 list, which highlights the largest (by revenue) producers in the United States and Canada, only 22 of the 150 companies included work exclusively in wide-format markets — that’s just shy of 15%. The other 85%, are doing wide-format as well as other things, be they commercial printing services, direct mail, packaging, industrial printing, or other applications. For more evidence on how convergence is changing wide-format, take a look at page 28.

Acquisitions Change Dynamics

As some segments in the printing industry have become more competitive and less profitable — commercial printing is a good example here — many companies have looked to wide format for its higher profitability and customizable approach. As a result, a significant number of acquisitions of wide-format companies by commercial printers have taken place in recent years as these companies decide it is easier to acquire an existing wide-format business than to build one from scratch. This reality has driven the wide-format and commercial segments closer.

Specialization Versus Generalization

Driven by the quest for opportunity and greater profitability, printing companies across the spectrum are looking at adjacent segments and markets to bring greater value to their existing and future customers.
Today, while there are certainly companies that do one or two things very well and with great efficiency, the broader trend is to be a “one-stop shop” defined by the specific needs of the company’s customer base. Companies are increasingly becoming what their customers need, simultaneously becoming more diverse, and wide-format services are often a part of that diversity.

But Wait, There’s More

And so, we find ourselves at a crossroads, tasked with covering the wide-format segment to a printing industry that longs to get in on the action. While wide-format veterans can see this development as the fruits of their 30 years spent building this segment, newbies can still find opportunity in this wide and broad segment. It continues to evolve.

To anyone who mourns the loss of WFI’s print edition, I understand that, and I want you to know that on an annual basis, the number of print pages we’ll offer, in total, will actually increase in our new home. And WFI’s online content, including exclusive online features, podcasts, videos, e-news, and special assets like the WFI 150 list and our annual guide to wide-format printing devices, is not going anywhere.
Certainly, anyone not visiting wideformatimpressions.com on a regular basis is missing out.

As content director of WFI, our extended team of contributors and I remain committed to covering the wide-format segment and we are excited for you to be exposed to more of what the broader printing industry brings you — the new technologies, the expanding opportunities, and the broader viewpoints.