In Dscoop Edge Rockies’ opening keynote session on March 7, Jesse Cole, founder of the Savannah Bananas – which will not be confused with a label printer – poignantly remarked, “The way it’s always been done is not always the best way to do things.”

Even though Cole founded a baseball team in the Southeast United States, he worked diligently to separate his business from those of his competitors. That mantra of “finding a new way to conduct business” was on display throughout Dscoop Edge Rockies, which took place from March 6-8, 2022, in Denver, CO, USA.

Cole touched upon themes that were present throughout this HP users group event. Overcoming friction points, making a lasting impression, and constant experimentation were among Cole’s talking points that resonated throughout the education sessions and the Solutions Showcase.

With digital printing continuing to emerge as a key industry trend, experts detailed just how companies can institute this technology successfully within their own book of business. Jesse Freitas of StickerGiant and Dustin Steerman of cmyk. explored this very topic in the insightful session, “Designing Your Digital Printing Business for Sustainable Hypergrowth.”

When entering digital printing, Steerman said printers should ask themselves, “Are you investing in a digital asset to serve a current customer base or a future customer base?”

StickerGiant, for example, was established in 2000 and has pivoted significantly three times since its inception. “We knew one thing: We wanted to be quick turn,” explained Freitas. “We were printing in one day and shipping. But we also knew early on we had to have fun, magic moments in our journey. We’re always looking for ‘Fun, fast, friendly,’ which is our brand mantra.”

Both Steerman and Freitas emphasized the need for a strong culture when changing a business, or adding new capabilities to the business.

“I got into digital printing because it’s attractive to people who want to build,” noted Steerman. “We’re building the future each and every day. You have to performance coach with your team, too. In a high growth to hyper growth business, you need to make sure everyone is aligned. If you need to part ways with someone who’s not on board, make the move.”

“Culture is everything to a business, especially in a fast growth business,” said Freitas. “A lot of what you do as a business is you teach values and vision. Culture is not what’s in your break room but who is in your break room. The 26th hire is as important as the 145th, so how do you continue to grow and adapt because the one constant in this world is change ¬– so is your culture.”

For StickerGiant, it’s critical to be transparent and genuine. A group must have concrete goals and a galvanized team, but individuality and creativity must also be fostered. “It’s really cool to witness when you see culture done right,” added Freitas.

Steerman, who was instrumental in the success of ePac, and Freitas, whose company relies on HP Indigo digital presses to service their short-turn orders, noted that technology is more important than ever before – especially with the wide of challenges facing businesses today. When investing in new technology, it’s key to invest in new software and ways to process artwork, as well as staying in front of challenges.

One such challenge will be sustainability, and Steerman believes digital is the perfect answer to that question. “The market is going in that direction, and we need to have a strategy for sustainability,” he said. “We’re seeing that demand from all different sides, too. Large CPGs are doing that and we’re seeing that with the supply chain. Digital has been proven to be a more sustainable process. The market is going to measure it, and you need to start building for where the market is going.”

“We’re small-business oriented, so the market is asking about sustainability product offerings,” said Freitas. “A lot of education still needs to happen. People know what they want until they don’t like the answer – such as with the durability of a material. We have to keep educating and focusing on what you can do with plants, energy consumption, shipping and more. None of us will be 100% perfect, but being transparent and telling people what you’ve done is the best thing you can do.”

But ultimately, people will still be the most important part of a printing business. “You can have the best assets in the world but if you don’t have the people to run them then the assets are meaningless,” commented Freitas.

In addition to adding digital printing to label and package printing facilities, businesses are continuing to invest in automation. The pandemic has accelerated the need for automation. Automation can provide value-added applications, less waste, and more productivity with lower headcount. Plus, automation reduces the number of manual touches from receiving an order to getting it to the press.

Looking for a problem before it fails is key, as automation enables a company to predict what will happen and identify more efficient processes – like G7 certification, for example. Dscoop Edge Rockies promoted collaboration on the automation journey.

Whether it be baseball or printing labels, Dscoop provided the platform to plan for the future. “The future of business is not based on how many customers you have but how many fans you have,” exclaimed Cole. “It’s about creating an unforgettable experience. It’s the moments that matter.”