From Speed to Strategy: How Wide-Format Conversations Are Changing

In this episode of Commit to Print, powered by Graphco, we sit down with Tomer Ohavi, Senior Director of Product Management at EFI, to explore how conversations with wide-format printers have evolved, and what’s driving today’s decision-making on the production floor.

Drawing on years of experience working directly with print providers, Tomer offers a clear-eyed view into how priorities have shifted from pure output metrics to long-term business performance.

Five Years Ago: Speed and Print Quality Led the Discussion

Looking back just five years, Tomer explains that most conversations with printers centered on familiar benchmarks: speed, image quality, and throughput.

Printers wanted to know how fast a device could run, how good the output looked, and how much volume they could push through the machine. These factors still matter, but they’re no longer the whole story.

Today’s Focus: Productivity, Uptime, and Revenue

According to Tomer, the discussion today has fundamentally changed.

Printers are now asking deeper operational questions:

• How can I get more value out of the equipment I already own?

• How do I maximize uptime and reduce disruption?

• How can I better leverage labor, inline finishing, and workflow to drive revenue?

Rather than chasing incremental speed gains, print providers are prioritizing productivity and reliability, looking closely at how machines perform over time, not just at peak output.

The bottom line still matters, but it’s being viewed through a broader lens: sustainable efficiency, smarter utilization, and predictable performance.

Expanding Beyond Traditional Applications

Another major shift Tomer highlights is how printers are thinking about growth.

Many shops that once focused on a narrow set of applications, traditional signage or display work, are now exploring entirely new verticals. Wall coverings, specialty décor, and non-traditional applications are increasingly part of the conversation.

Printers are asking:

• How do I enter new vertical markets?

• How can I produce different applications efficiently?

• How do I expand offerings without overextending my operation?

This curiosity signals a more strategic mindset, one focused on diversification and resilience rather than staying confined to a single category.

A Clear Theme: Doing More with What You Have

Across all of these changes, Tomer points to a consistent theme: printers want to grow smarter, not just bigger.

Whether it’s improving uptime, expanding into new applications, or extracting more value from existing equipment, the goal is efficiency with intention. The most successful operations are looking at their entire ecosystem: presses, finishing, labor, and workflow, and asking how everything works together to support the business.

Commitment Beyond the Machine

Tomer’s insights align closely with the core theme of Commit to Print: commitment today isn’t just about investing in technology, it’s about committing to smarter operations, adaptable business models, and long-term productivity.

As the wide-format market continues to evolve, these conversations are shaping how print providers plan for what’s next, not just the next job, but the next phase of growth.