Of all things printed, I.T. Strategies estimates that the market opportunity for printing will reach $1 trillion by 2004. Today people worldwide spend over $800 billion annually to procure print. Advancements in technology are allowing digital printing to impact markets beyond traditional office applications and move into areas like books, packaging, labels, textiles, wallcoverings, decorative laminates-in short, any product that cannot be sold without bearing a printed image.

Digital printing has the capability to penetrate previously distinct types of printers/imagers. For example, historically, color photo labs only used photographic equipment, service bureaus used image setters, sign shops operated using rotors and cutters, and copy shops specialized in monochrome copying with traditional copier equipment. Today, these printers are using digital technology in conjunction with their traditional equipment, and in some cases have converted entirely to digital printing, offering a wider range of products to meet customers' requirements. Wide format printing serves as a case in point. Wide format printing was first used by color photo labs to replace the expensive method of creating large photographs. Today, this technology has crossed the lines and is prevalent in most print provider shops where it is used for point-of-purchase applications, trade show events, billboards, etc.