Whoever came up with the notion of SuperSeeds is a genius. Just eating them makes me feel smarter. The package I buy has a blend of flax, hemp, chia, pumpkin and sunflower seeds. My salads never tasted so…super.

It got me thinking: are there Super Printers? Nearly every week this summer, I’ve been approached via email, post, tweet or phone to suggest printers who are best in class. Who would I recommend? Who are the leaders?

Several years ago, my answer to such a question would have been different. I would have talked about excellent print quality and state-of-the-art capabilities. This was what mattered to professional print buyers – those working in companies or agencies. (Consumers are a whole different issue, best left for another Tip.)

If you asked me today to describe Super Printers, I would have a different answer.

Super Printers have to deliver great quality and offer competitive prices. Duh. Their customer care (customer service, how well printers communicate with you, how responsibly they deal with you) must be spectacular and consistent. They must stand by their work.

Print customers want more from their printers these days. It used to be fine – preferred by the majority of customers, even – for printers to just print. In the past three years that’s changed. Print customers want it all, and if a printing company can deliver it all – or much of it – that’s even better.

The Super Printers are innovators. They have creative expertise for customers who need that. They offer both offset and digital printing. They are experts at personalized printing and know how to help customers create, implement, manage and track such campaigns.

The Super Printers are social animals. They have Twitter accounts and a corporate Facebook page, and their LinkedIn profile is robust and kept current. They have a blog and use it the right way – to have a regular conversation with prospects and customers.

The Super Printers know something about marketing, and it’s not limited to print-related stuff. They can discuss cross-media communications and offer these services. They know about email and mobile marketing.

The Super Printers have mailing/fulfillment capabilities. (They’ve probably had them for years.) They offer online inventory fulfillment. They have an ecommerce component. They offer a web-to-print solution. They know about Branding and can help you strengthen yours.

The Super Printers are leaders in sustainability. They wear their green badge with pride and lead by example, showing their commitment to environmental responsibility in all they do, stem to stern.

More print customers, in large organizations especially, want to work with the Super Printers. They are looking for these innovators, these industry thought leaders, these enthusiastic and well-rounded companies who are part manufacturers and part marketing wizards.

Business needs for printing services have changed drastically in recent years. Part of this change has been what business professionals want from their printers. They want new concepts. They want creative ideas. They want help creating multichannel programs that incorporate print but aren’t limited to it.

To me, this smells like an opportunity for printers. A super opportunity.

(c) 2013 Margie Dana. All rights reserved.