Factoring Time and Cost Savings into the Finishing Equation

The large-format printing industry continues to evolve at pace. Printing equipment is advancing rapidly, color gamut is expanding, and production speeds are climbing as businesses invest in the latest technologies to stay competitive. The buzz at PRINTING United Expo 2025 in Las Vegas reflected this momentum, from record attendance to the sheer number of equipment launches on the show floor. Globally, according to Grandview Research, the large-format print market is projected to grow from $9.11 billion in 2023 to $12.70 billion by 2030, at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5%. North America currently leads the market with a 34.4% share, with the United States alone representing nearly a quarter of the global large-format printer market.

As print speeds increase and e-commerce growth fuels demand for faster delivery, customers’ expectations for shorter turnaround times continue to rise. Yet, despite all the innovation in print hardware and software, one area often lags behind – large-format finishing. In many shops, finishing remains a major bottleneck. While attention typically focuses on print and prepress optimization, finishing is frequently the slowest point in the workflow. This can result in production delays, missed deadlines, and capacity limitations. Simply put, a print shop is only as fast as its slowest process, and for many, that process is finishing.

A recent Alliance Insights report, Exploring Automation in Wide-Format Printing, found that turnaround time and manual bottlenecks are two of the leading causes of slow production. 30% of survey respondents identified “turnaround time” as a critical challenge amid rising demand for quick delivery, while another 30% cited manual “workflow bottlenecks,” such as pre-press, file preparation, or finishing. These issues are compounded by workforce pressures, with 44% of respondents indicating labor availability and 41% to high labor costs as major concerns. Together, these challenges create what the report describes as “a layered set of obstacles” driven by labor shortages, manual tasks, inconsistent job volumes, and fragmented workflows – all of which can be mitigated through finishing automation.

What Does Large-format finishing Automation Look Like?

From cutting media to size and welding hems, to adding grommets or sewing textile edges or SEG strips, finishing encompasses multiple steps essential to turning printed materials into deliverable products. In large-format, many of these steps remain manual and time-intensive. For instance, welding long rolls of banner material often requires two operators to feed and refeed heavy media, while manually placing grommets along the edge. Likewise, sewing textile signage is laborious and requires a higher level of skill than most other finishing tasks, which slows production and creates quality-control risks.

Each of these processes presents an opportunity for automation. Upgrading from a manual grommet press to a semi-automatic or fully-automatic press, or investing in an electric media roll lifter, can save considerable time and reduce physical strain on operators. Conveyor belt systems synchronized with welders can streamline longer seams and reduce handling errors. For some producers, fully integrated finishing lines that combine cutting, welding or sewing, and grommeting in a single workflow can offer an even greater advantage. Such platforms ensure precise grommet placement using camera guidance, simplify handling for single operators, and reduce finishing’s overall footprint on the production floor.

Taking a holistic view of how each job moves through the shop helps identify these opportunities. Mapping the entire journey, from the moment the media roll is loaded to the moment the finished graphic is packed, often reveals where incremental automation can have the most significant impact.

Prioritizing Finishing to Gain a Competitive Edge

Investment decisions in large-format printing are rarely made lightly. New equipment requires substantial capital, and many businesses view purchases such as printers or software as the priorities. Yet, the finishing stage deserves equal consideration. The time and labor savings achieved through finishing automation can offset the initial cost faster than many anticipate.

Finishing automation reduces the number of operators required per job, lowers the skill threshold needed for consistent results, and minimizes errors that lead to rework. Space saving solutions integrating multiple finishing processes also free up valuable floor space for other equipment. In short, investing in finishing not only improves productivity, but it also creates long-term operational efficiency.

Credit: Probo

One company that is prioritizing large-format print finishing is the Michigan-based event fabrication company, Britten Inc. Over 50% of Britten’s revenue comes from printed signage, with a team of 40 making up its sewing department. Historically, the company had struggled to find a solution to automate its large-format print sewing. However, since identifying sewing finishing as a significant bottleneck, Britten has invested in a Hybrid TexWiz banner finishing platform featuring integrated sewing automation for hems from PLASTGrommet as part of a wider investment worth over $1 million to automate its large-format print finishing department. The hybrid nature of the platform also offers system redundancy, which is a priority for Britten.

Probo, a trade printer with facilities in the Netherlands and Germany, is another example. Supporting over 12,000 print professionals with over 300,000 product combinations and over 280 materials being produced, Probo needed a way to boost its banner finishing capacity without compromising turnaround or quality. To meet this goal, the company adopted the fully integrated banner finishing platform All In One and was able to expand its share of business with existing customers while capturing new opportunities for higher-volume runs. The investment not only improved throughput and consistency but also enabled the company to consolidate its fence banner production, reducing outsourcing and improving control over scheduling and quality.

Factoring Time and Cost into Sourcing Decisions

When evaluating equipment or materials, printers naturally focus on output speed and print quality. However, factoring in time and cost savings across the entire workflow can reveal additional opportunities for return on investment. The sourcing process shouldn’t stop at the printer and, considering how much media is handled, finished, and shipped can have an equal if not greater effect on overall profitability. For example, automated systems that reduce the number of touchpoints between printing and packing translate directly into time savings. Similarly, consumables and materials that align with automation, such as using an automatic welder for welding banner edges, means you don’t need a consumable like a double-sided tape, which can save money and time, and help to streamline downstream processes. Even accessories like media roll lifters or integrated safety tools can contribute to safer, faster workflows that prevent downtime and injuries.

Credit: Britten Inc.

When sourcing finishing equipment, some key considerations can include the number of operators the process currently requires and how automation might reduce this; whether finishing can currently keep up with the printer’s output; whether automation will lower or eliminate recurring costs, such as for tapes and adhesives; and whether the equipment would improve workspace organization and reduce manual handling risks and injuries. Businesses that assess these factors holistically will often find that true cost savings emerge not from the initial purchase price, but from cumulative gains in speed, safety, and consistency.

As print technology continues to evolve, the conversation around productivity will increasingly extend beyond the press. Finishing is no longer the quiet end of the process. It’s a strategic opportunity for efficiency and growth, and the most successful print businesses will be those that view sourcing decisions with an entire view of production. Whether through incremental upgrades or integrated systems, the goal remains the same: To remove bottlenecks, reduce waste, and enable teams to deliver more in less time.

The print shops that invest carefully and strategically in this area of production will set the pace and retain a competitive advantage over those who continue to overlook their finishing bottlenecks.