As we have noted in prior Target Reports and emphasized in our Annual Review, the salad days for wide-format printing are over. Digitally printed banners and wraps are no longer unique, flatbed printing devices are ubiquitous, and the high margins that came with being an early entrant in the market for large inkjet prints have been compressed by competition. Entry-level equipment is no longer excessively expensive, flatbed cutters and other finishing technologies are widely installed.
Differentiation in the wide-format business has moved from those that had first-mover advantage to businesses such as those that have perfected more complex online direct-to-customer systems, robust planning and installation capabilities, or value-added services such as printing on canvas for use as home or office décor. The ability to print, stretch, and mount printed fabrics in a multitude of formats, venues, and environments is one such specialization.
Moss, a wide-format fabric printing company based in Franklin, Illinois, has grown to in excess of $100 million in revenue by staying focused almost exclusively on the unique niche application of graphic tensioned fabric installations. That growth has come via the serial execution of acquisitions, each expanding its geographic range and breadth of applications, but remaining laser-focused on the use of printed fabrics held in tension.
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