For Alan Davis, the starting point is simple: Remove the abstraction. Too often, conversations about inkjet get bogged down in theory, spec sheets, talking points and assumptions about quality. But if the President of BPI Media Group has learned anything over the years, it is that belief does not grow from bullet points, it grows from experience.
“We have a sales sheet that explains the benefits, but one thing that we offer that seems to help with the conversation is for the client to give us a file and let us print a sample on the paper of their choice,” Davis says. “This always seems to help with the quality questions that sometimes arise.”
Davis believes that the moment a client sees their own artwork, on their chosen stock, printed in real time, the discussion changes. Inkjet stops being an unfamiliar technology and becomes something tangible. Doubt softens. Curiosity replaces resistance.
As inkjet technology continues to advance with higher throughput, expanded substrate options and improved color consistency, the real challenge is not engineering, but translation. Most clients are not focused on manufacturing processes; they are focused on meeting deadlines, protecting budgets, driving response rates and preserving brand integrity.
The best inkjet evangelists understand they are selling what inkjet enables—speed, flexibility, creativity and measurable impact. Davis knows most commercial print buyers are not interested in the mechanics behind the curtain. They want clarity, confidence and proof. “Most of our clients don’t really understand the technology when it comes to commercial printing, so we focus on what matters to them—color, speed, lower costs on smaller projects and reducing bindery time by printing book blocks.”
“We really push web to print for clients and the inkjet press does really well with our storefront software solution… Educating the client with samples, plant tours and some online training sessions goes a long way in developing trust with the client in new technology.”
— Alan Davis, President, BPI Media Group
When the conversation shifts from hardware to workflow, inkjet becomes a tool to reduce touchpoints, compress timelines and economically produce shorter runs—streamlining bindery by printing book blocks in sequence. Still, skepticism surfaces, especially among longtime offset loyalists.
Davis recalls a new client who insisted a book project run offset and even scheduled a press check. “We had a book project for a new client and we suggested our inkjet press as the press to print it on. They refused and wanted it on the offset press. We won the project and the customer scheduled a press check for the project.”
Instead of debating, Davis’ team demonstrated. “Once we got them in the building, we sent the files to our inkjet press and ran a test for them on the spot. We ran a book block and they could see their entire book printed on the paper they requested. We have only printed projects for this customer on the inkjet since that day. They loved the speed and quality of print.”
The turning point is more proof than pitch. That’s why Davis urges his sales team to tie inkjet to deeper client integration, especially through web-to-print storefronts. “We really push web to print for clients and the inkjet press does really well with our storefront software solution. The sales team also love it because it makes us sticky with our client. Educating the client with samples, plant tours and some online training sessions goes a long way in developing trust with the client in new technology.”
Make the Technology Invisible
Not every inkjet conversation begins by spotlighting the technology. In many cases, the most effective approach is to make the production method almost disappear entirely, shifting the focus away from how something is printed and toward what the communication achieves.
Christopher D. Wells, Executive VP at DS Graphics | Universal Wilde, sees this dynamic play out regularly. “Our experience is that the majority of clients today do not actually know or understand the difference between inkjet, toner, offset, etc.”
For Wells, that reality helps reframe the conversation by focusing on production methods. “A large portion of our direct mail business is B2C, so most of the conversations are about outcomes. With the analytical tools that are available today, we find that the conversations revolve around how to best communicate with the data we have.”
In that environment, inkjet becomes less of a technology discussion and more of an engine for relevance. The real value lies in what the press allows marketers to do with their data. “Our goal is to show them how they can use those same analytics to vary the content, offer, call to action and even response mechanism—QR code versus in-store coupon, for example—on their direct mail campaigns,” Wells says.
Once clients begin thinking this way, the focus shifts away from how something is printed and toward what it achieves: variable imagery, dynamic offers, personalized messaging and integrated response paths that tie print into digital engagement. “Showing clients how they can make the print piece as relevant as their digital communications and building the proper response mechanisms to track attribution removes most of the technology conversation,” Wells says.
“Showing clients how they can make the print piece as relevant as their digital communications and building the proper response mechanisms to track attribution removes most of the technology conversation.”
— Christopher D. Wells, Executive VP, DS Graphics | Universal Wilde
Wells says that occasionally the discussion returns to production, especially when manufacturing-savvy buyers question durability or print quality, particularly if they have spent years working within an offset environment. “In the rare cases where we are working with someone who understands the manufacturing side of the business and is questioning the quality or durability of inkjet, we tell them one of many stories we have of well-known brands who have made the switch. They have been able to maintain their brand quality expectations while greatly improving the relevancy of their communications.”
At DS Graphics | Universal Wilde, those success stories circulate internally as well. The team regularly revisits them as a way to reinforce what the technology enables. “We have a monthly roundtable where we share success stories and build on those successes by continuing to share the clients’ ongoing journeys,” Wells says.
But even as those stories accumulate, Wells is careful not to over-romanticize the term itself. “There is certainly plenty of evidence supporting digital and, more specifically, digital inkjet as the industry’s future darling technology. But I don’t believe the actual market looks at it that way from the end users’ perspective. Inside the industry, inkjet may be a term that has some resonance, but among the end user, the momentum should be built around the impact of print on the current marketing landscape and keeping it as relevant as digital and proving its impact.”
Inkjet doesn’t need louder advocates; it needs better storytellers. This includes leaders who understand clients are not buying a press platform, but agility in a volatile market and the ability to respond faster, personalize deeper and measure with precision. When that is done, the revolution sells itself.
5 ways to sell a revolution
- Put It in Their Hands – Run their file on their paper. Let proof replace doubt.
- Lead With Outcomes – Talk about speed, relevancy and ROI—not hardware.
- Tell Brand Stories – Share real-world examples of companies that switched and won.
- Integrate With Digital – Show how inkjet enables personalization and measurable attribution.
- Build Internal Evangelists – Create forums to share wins and reinforce success across the team.
- Sources: Alan Davis, BPI Media Group; Christopher D. Wells, DS Graphics | Universal Wilde
