It would be hard to argue that print-on-demand (POD) is new. It has been part of the fabric of the printing industry for a number of years now. The question, then, isn’t whether a print shop is aware of POD and customization, but whether or not they are offering it. And if they are, are they offering what customers actually want?
The space is changing, and what counted as cutting-edge offerings a few years ago are just today’s cost of doing business for many. And it isn’t slowing down.
Lisa Cross, principal analyst at Alliance Insights, explains, “Print-on-demand isn’t new, but what’s changing is the level of demand for it. Today’s print buyers expect faster turnaround, seamless online ordering, and personalization, making POD a core operating model rather than a niche capability.”
In fact, according to the 2026 Print Buyers Survey that Alliance Insights recently released, brands and buyers listed these as extremely or very important when they are making decisions about who to give their business to.
Personalization and online ordering capabilities top that list by a pretty healthy margin, making it something every commercial printer — regardless of size or application mix — should give a hard look.
Print-on-Demand Success
Statistics, however, only tell part of the story. Cedar Graphics, based in Hiawatha, Iowa, started investing in the technology 15 years ago, “largely because customer demand was clearly moving in that direction,” Justin McDonald, sales and marketing director for the company, says.
“More customers wanted shorter runs, faster turns, less warehousing, less obsolete inventory, and more flexibility,” he continues. “Instead of printing large quantities and hoping they used everything before something changed, they wanted to order what they needed, when they needed it. This was driven by the need for personalization and rapidly changing legal requirements requiring regular updating of materials. It also became clear that POD fit very naturally with the kind of work we were already doing — especially programs involving versioning, fulfillment, repeat ordering, and variable data. It was a way to better serve customers while creating a more efficient and responsive workflow for both sides.”
Read this full article on Printing Impressions, a publication of PRINTING United Alliance, ASI’s strategic partner.
