People ask us whether they’ll be successful with a wall printer. The honest answer is that it depends on five things, and four of them have nothing to do with the printer. The owners who do best are rarely the most technical people. They’re the ones who keep showing up for the other four.
1. Vision
What it is: seeing what every blank wall could be.
On a Tuesday: photograph three walls on your commute, mock one up and send it to the owner without being asked.
In the year I’ve been trying to sell it, I’ve never had anybody who wasn’t interested in at least seeing what it is.
If I get the machine in front of people and show it to them, they do the brainstorming of what it can do for them.
Now I wear all the hats. Do what you can each day, build trust with your customers, and do good work.
2. Business
What it is: a sales and service business that happens to use a printer.
On a Tuesday: ten follow-ups, two quotes out and one coffee with a designer or a general contractor.
3. Graphics
What it is: files that hold up at the size of a wall. It’s easier than most people fear.
On a Tuesday: pull from the stock images that come with your package, or scale a client’s own logo cleanly.
4. Branding
What it is: looking like the obvious professional choice.
On a Tuesday: a branded truck and cabinet, before-and-after reels and a portfolio page people can find.
5. Printing
What it is: running the machine. It comes last, and it’s learned in days.
On a Tuesday: prime, position the rails, run the file, clean up, photograph and invoice.
Where the printer fits
Training covers the fifth pillar in one full day in Wilmington. The other four are yours to build, and they’re what decide how busy the printer stays. Jason Ott puts it simply: “We do sell a machine, but you do have to build a business around it.”
If you read this list and the first four sound like work you’d enjoy, that’s a good sign. If they don’t, read who shouldn’t buy a wall printer before you go further.
Questions people ask
What makes a wall printer owner successful?
Five things: vision, business, graphics, branding and printing. Four of the five have nothing to do with the printer itself.
Do I need to be technical to run a wall printer?
No. Running the printer is learned in days, and one full day of training in Wilmington is included. The owners who do best are rarely the most technical people.
Do I need to be a designer?
No. Files that hold up at wall size are easier than most people fear, and stock images come with every printer package.
Thinking about a printer? Tell the team in Wilmington what you want to print and where, and we’ll give you a straight answer on whether it fits.
Before you buy: straight answers to the questions buyers ask us.
- The first 90 days with a wall printer: what actually happens
- Five assumptions that make any wall printer calculator look better than real life
- How a $500 wall printing job can lose money
- Print heads: what wears out on a wall printer, what it costs and how to make it last
- Walls to think twice about before you print on them
- Where a wall printer struggles, and how owners plan around it
- A $40,000 printer package or a cheap import: what you’re actually comparing
- What support looks like after you buy a wall printer
- Who shouldn’t buy a wall printer
- What it takes to do well with a wall printer: the five pillars
- Questions to ask a wall printer owner before you buy
- The three kinds of wall printing jobs, and what each one sells for
- How fast does a wall printer print?