DIGITAL PRINTING MONTH: What makes a good brand partner in 2025?

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Digital print continues to play a pivotal role in brand marketing – supporting everything from personalised direct mail and short-run packaging to localised POS displays and experiential campaign materials. As consumer expectations grow for personalised, sustainable, and high-impact brand touchpoints, selecting the right digital print partner is more important than ever for marketers…

The right supplier goes beyond print quality alone. Today’s digital print partners must offer agility, data-driven integration, automation, and sustainable practices — all while helping brands move quickly from creative concept to tangible campaign assets.

Campaign flexibility is a key differentiator. With marketing cycles becoming shorter and more reactive, brand teams need partners who can turn around campaigns at speed, across varying formats and volumes. A reliable partner should offer short-run, variable print capabilities with the ability to handle multiple design versions simultaneously—ideal for regional campaigns, A/B testing, or time-sensitive promotions.

Data integration is another critical consideration. As personalised print campaigns become more commonplace, brand marketers need suppliers that can securely integrate with CRM systems and customer data platforms. This enables the creation of personalised offers, names, images, and messages printed on demand—helping to improve engagement rates while aligning with digital campaign efforts.

Automation and workflow efficiency are also essential. The best digital print suppliers provide end-to-end services that streamline production and fulfilment. This includes online proofing, automated ordering systems, real-time job tracking, and direct-to-consumer delivery where needed. These efficiencies not only save time but also reduce the risk of costly errors in large, multi-channel campaigns.

Fulfilment capabilities can make or break a campaign’s success. A strong partner should offer warehousing, kitting, and distribution services that align with campaign timelines and geographic reach. Whether it’s distributing POS to hundreds of retail locations or managing print-on-demand orders for an e-commerce promotion, fulfilment must be fast, accurate, and scalable.

Sustainability is no longer a “nice to have”— it’s a purchasing priority. Consumers and stakeholders alike are increasingly scrutinising the environmental footprint of marketing activities. Brand marketers should prioritise digital print partners that use FSC-certified materials, water-based or low-VOC inks, and energy-efficient production processes. Providers should also be able to support carbon reporting or offsetting strategies where needed.

Ultimately, choosing the right digital print partner in 2025 means finding a supplier that understands marketing agility, can work in sync with your data and systems, and is aligned with your brand’s values – particularly around sustainability. With the right partner in place, marketers can deliver high-impact printed campaigns that are smarter, faster, and more effective than ever before.

Are you searching for Digital Print solutions for your organisation? The Digital Marketing Solutions Summit can help!

Photo by SEO Galaxy on Unsplash

AUTHOR

Stuart O'Brien

All stories by: Stuart O'Brien