Small shops are becoming jack of all trades and i'm not sure how i feel about it
Noticed something lately, a lot of small shops around me that were strictly offset or screen print a few years ago are now quietly adding DTF, wide format, sublimation, sometimes all three. not because they planned to, but because the alternative was losing customers to someone who could do it all under one roof.
i get it, i've done the same thing honestly. but there's a part of me that wonders if we're all just spreading ourselves thin trying to compete with larger shops on volume and variety instead of just being really really good at one thing.
the economics make sense short term, keep the customer, add the service, move on. but the equipment, the learning curve, the inconsistent quality while you're figuring it out, that stuff has a real cost too.
anyone else feel like specialisation is becoming a luxury only bigger shops can afford now? or is diversifying actually the smarter long term play for small operations