Diversifying Your Print Offering Through Unique Substrates

Expanding your range of digitally printable substrates allows you to offer more than signs and stickers — you start offering solutions for décor, events, packaging, architecture, retail design, and beyond.

Whether you’re looking to grow your business, enter new verticals, or attract premium clients, here’s how unique print materials can set you apart — and open new revenue streams.

Why Substrate Variety = Competitive Advantage

Clients are looking for:

• New textures and finishes that stand out

• Sustainable and certified media options

• Substrates that solve specific problems (like fast install, fire rating, removability)

• A print partner who can say “yes” to more ideas

When your material library goes beyond the basics, you position your business as more versatile, more innovative, and more valuable.

Use Substrate Innovation to Enter New Markets

By adopting new substrates, you can expand into:

Market	Substrate Opportunities
Interior décor	Printable wallcoverings, textiles, acoustic panels
Events & exhibits	Repositionable graphics, magnetic panels, SEG fabrics
Packaging & prototyping	Foldable boards, printable corrugated, compostable films
Retail & POS	PVC-free signage, double-sided blockout banners, floor films
Sustainable sectors	Recyclable boards, PVC-free vinyls, FSC®-certified papers

Each substrate category opens up new applications — and new client conversations.

Try Small Batches, Sell Big Ideas

You don’t need to carry massive stock to get started. Instead:

• Test new materials in small batches

• Create physical sample kits or “demo campaigns” for key accounts

• Show mockups of the same campaign printed on multiple substrates

• Collaborate with suppliers to access niche materials on demand

Use tools like Substrate Bank to discover and compare new substrates by application, printer compatibility, and certifications — all in one place.

Train Your Team to Pitch Possibility

Sales teams often stick to what’s familiar — so give them the tools and confidence to sell beyond banners and boards:

• Provide a substrate playbook: What it is, where to use it, what it solves

• Create vertical-specific guides (e.g., “Sustainable Packaging Solutions” or “Print for Retail Environments”)

• Reward experimentation — offer bonuses for first-time sales of new material categories

When your team leads with solutions, not just specs, you shift from “vendor” to creative partner.

Bundle Unique Substrates into Premium Packages

Offer clients value-added kits that include:

• Premium substrates

• Finishing or install support

• Reusability or sustainability tracking

• On-demand reordering

Bundles help clients think bigger — and increase average order value for your shop.

Conclusion: Growth Starts With Saying “Yes” to New Surfaces

Your printer already works. Your team already delivers. The fastest way to scale isn’t to overhaul your business — it’s to expand what you print on.

By diversifying your offering with unique substrates, you give clients more reasons to come back, more projects to trust you with, and more ways to solve their challenges.

Because in digital printing, innovation doesn’t start at the RIP — it starts with the surface.