It’s important to know what is going on outside your doors. Not how your team interacts with customers, although that is rather important, but you need to know what is happening in this volatile office technology industry. Maybe there are products you’d like to get your hands on because you have customers that need them. Or there’s technology that would let you move your dealership up a level. Maybe you need to raise the bar on what you provide your customers but aren’t sure how to do that. As you know, there are usually parts of business that don’t quite work as planned.
Knowing more is never a bad thing. This is a key reason we put together an annual WatchList and look at the goings on in our industry and think about what’s important. There are four categories we think are areas office technology dealers should be thinking about heading into 2026: Trends (see below, which includes key technologies), Companies, People, and Events. These are intertwined in many ways and, in this issue, we point out some things you may want to be aware of and provide our take on how they interact.
The most interesting thing is that there is no single way of looking at Trends, Companies, People, and Events. Everyone, from corporate CEOs to mega-dealers to the smallest shops, sees the markets they serve and the entire industry through their own lens. The following summaries offer up what we at The Cannata Report see as things to consider and be aware of as we go through the coming 12 months. Every combination of trends, companies, people, and events presents new opportunities to be and do more.
Numerous organizations cite firms, trends and technologies that may be of particular importance to dealers. Many are worth your attention and may help with buying decisions. One set of awards determined solely by dealers who have some skin in the game is the Frank Awards, which recognize outstanding achievements and excellence in the independent dealer channel. Reflecting the thinking of dealers responding to The Cannata Report’s Annual Dealer Survey, such real-world recognition is important because it shows what dealers value most.
More important than what we see and report on is your own “WatchList.” It contains the products, services, and industry changes that may help you, your business, and your team keep moving forward.
Let’s roll.
TRENDS in Office Technology
What is a “trend?” AI claims a trend to be a general direction, tendency, or prevailing style in culture, fashion, markets, or events. Anything that seems to disrupt an established process is often described as a trend, yet that doesn’t mean it lacks the staying power to become business as usual. Some trends become more common or normalized over time, such as fashion, economics, or social shifts such as remote work. A trend can also mean something becoming widely discussed or viewed online (trending), some vanishing as if they never existed. In technical contexts, a trend may be measurable movement in data, such as in finance or economics. It can also be indicated by changes in an industry. For example, coffee was usually percolated in most homes but now electric coffee makers (once a trend) sit on many kitchen counters. Small percolators are largely gone. Laptop computers were once a trend. Now businesses and most households have a few.
Interestingly, trends and technology can be inextricably related, one arising from the other. This is not seizing a moment or developing one based on the other. It is doing the hard work of connecting the dots moving forward, even creating dots that others later connect as a technology (or even a product) is developed. For example, digital printing technology was once thought of as a trend but is now how many documents are produced. Along the way, other dots were created. One was merging ready-to-print digital files with faxing. Now we all send documents across town or around the planet, emailing or faxing to an MFP several time zones away. Once a trend, it is now normal because some people connected the dots moving forward; realizing that a digital file or scan could be faxed.
These days the gorilla is AI, which shows up in countless areas of work. But remember one thing: AI is basically software and its effectiveness is built upon the data it’s fed. Office technology dealers should embrace smart utilization of AI and cloud technology. However, it’s not always about buying the latest piece of hardware: It may be a matter of taking what you already have and adding AI in ways that provide differentiation and profitability. For dealers, the potential is knowing and understanding how your customers are using AI. So ask them. You may learn things.
Here are some trends and technologies that we think will grow in importance. Dealers, get aboard this office technology plane before it leaves the gate.
AI Agent
ECI Software Solutions has launched AI Agent, an ecommerce AI tool built into EvolutionX, the company’s ecommerce platform. It combines intelligence and real- time insights to help merchants (such as stores) make day-to-day work easier, connect better with customers, and uncover new revenue opportunities without requiring complex setup or technical expertise. This supports the growth of SMB customers by providing fast access to business insights, smarter product listings, and fraud detection.
Unlike standalone AI plug-ins, the AI Agent seems to be purpose-built and fully integrated into ECI’s workflow for secure experiences tailored to how customer operate. According to ECI, AI Agent provides merchants with real-time access to sales, orders, and customer behavior to uncover trends and opportunities. Such productivity gains can translate into better visibility, faster responses to market changes, and more consistent customer experiences. Not bad things. Do any of your customers need or take advantage of what AI Agent offers? Or might this be a new capability that can open up a new market?
ECI Software Solutions also announced Printanista certification of the Capsul printer line from Image Star, its device management solution for office technology. Communicating with the cloud, Printanista captures print volumes, device status, and service alerts from tens of millions of devices each day. The new certification ensures that Capsul printers and multifunction devices can be monitored and managed within Printanista, giving office technology dealers real-time visibility and control over their fleets. This may be one of the ways of using the cloud to make your managed print and managed IT more effective.
AI and Document Management
AI is a raging topic but few people have much beyond a conversational knowledge of it. To address real-world needs office technology dealers need solutions that are easier to sell, implement, and profit from. One way might be with IS Docs, a division of Impression Solutions. The company’s new website shows how IS Docs is helping dealers deliver advanced workflow solutions to their customers without the sales complexity, pricing restrictions, or lack of customization that typically come with legacy document management systems. While many platforms charge per-user licensing fees, IS Docs offers (for now) unlimited users at no additional cost, giving dealers a major competitive edge and enabling end users to scale across their organizations. This can be a compelling advantage for a dealer just getting off the ground with AI and for new customers with burgeoning businesses. Dealers are encouraged to book a demo at the new IS Docs website: www.ISDocs.com
Cloud-Based Print Management
The new release of PaperCut Hive, the company’s cloud-based print management solution is said to mark a milestone in the platform’s evolution. It delivers features designed to help system administrators manage user details at scale, automate critical reporting, and enforce stricter cost controls for copying. The update moves Hive beyond basic print management to addressing the complex realities of modern IT environments; from mixed-hardware fleets including ARM64 Windows computers (see the GOT ARMS listing) to the need for risk-free user migrations. Think about how some of your customers may be able to take advantage of this or call PaperCut asking how you can help your customers.
Color Management
Color management is not a place where office technology spends much time but that doesn’t mean it is a non-issue. Alwan rolled out its Hydra Color Engine with a chart displaying 40 colors, many more than the mainstream options provide.
The Hydra Color Engine, based on spectral prediction technology (a lot of math), attracted professionals from print, packaging, specialty and direct-to-fabric production to the Alwan exhibit at PRINTING United Expo 2025. Visitors fell into two categories, those who had heard about Hydra and those who were curious and impressed by the exhibit signage showing 40 colors. As accurate color becomes increasingly important it may become expected in office technology. Do not be surprised when customers ask for more accurate color on their printers. Get in front of this by learning more.
Digital Printing Growth
Don’t be deluded by the screen before your eyes or what your twenty-something kid tells you. You may be reading a lot of PDFs and emails but the global digital printing market that was worth more than $33 billion in 2024 is expected to surpass $57 billion by 2033, a CAGR of 6.1%. This not-so-shabby growth, forecasted by a firm called Research & Markets, is spurred by rising demand for cost-efficient, high-speed, and configurable printing solutions in sectors like packaging, textiles, and publishing, plus developments in inkjet and laser printing.
The growing preference for A4 may be a part of this because the office is not being left behind. Office technology dealers have to continue delivering compelling solutions that meet or exceed customer needs while augmenting managed IT and managed print solutions that support customer needs. Never stop asking customers what they would like—and what they don’t. Then start connecting the dots.
Distribution
One thing that companies like Amazon, Home Depot, and Walmart have figured out is how to get product out the door. They are all companies with huge inventories yet they partner with distribution services to get stuff to wherever it needs to go. Logistics and fulfillment is probably not your expertise, so why let it be?
Using a distribution company is at once a trend and a smart way to do business. Some of the smartest and most successful office technology dealerships use Distribution Management and TD SYNNEX to do the leg work of getting products to customers. If you run a dealership, the school department, the law firm, and the municipal offices are still customers. The distribution company just does the heavy lifting. They are built to do this. It’s one more thing you can take off your worry list while saving time, money, and not worrying.
Generative AI
Square 9 Softworks continues finding efficient uses in many areas of work but its effectiveness is always built upon the data you feed it. Square 9 reimagines how we interact with information, sometimes acting as an intelligent co-collaborator. The company’s generative AI capture solution, called Inquire AI, combines information extraction, machine learning, and workflow automation to turn unstructured data into AI-ready assets. By connecting data to systems that leverage it, the potential for making predictive insights on customer orders, market trends, revenue streams, and more can be powered by the data in documents. Think how your dealership and your customers can use this.
Got ARMS
No, not the ones sticking out from your shoulders. Epson has announced ARM-compatible drivers for Windows across current and select legacy scanner models. As the only scanner brand offering native ARM (Advanced RISC Machines; RISC = Reduced Instruction Set Computing) drivers for Windows across its lineup, Epson is setting a standard for compatibility and performance in industries including healthcare, finance, government, and more. You might not think you need it until one of your sales guys is blindsided by a customer.
This is worth knowing about because AI-powered computing is accelerating with the rise of AI-focused computers such as the new Copilot-Plus PCs, many of which are ARM-based. For these computers to deliver their full potential, scanning solutions need ARM-compatible drivers. Without them customers risk incompatibility, interruptions, and reduced functionality. By providing ARM-compatible drivers for Windows across its entire scanner lineup, Epson is taking the guesswork out of compatibility across both x86 and ARM devices. This helps make Epson scanners ready for current and future Windows devices.
Inkjet
Ignore inkjet at your own peril. Inkjet printing is experiencing robust growth, driven by demand for digital, personalized, and sustainable printing, especially in packaging, textiles, and industrial applications. Projections from multiple research firms showing CAGRs of 6-7% through 2032. Inkjet can be less expensive than toner (albeit with less of a profit margin for dealers) while often better able to render high-quality images. It’s important to realize that major print engine vendors are not rolling out new inkjet printers just to be competitive: They see a new market where inkjet augments toner and offset for numerous applications. Speeds will increase, and in many offices the choice of printer will be based on volume, application, image quality and urgency of need.
Understand this: Your customers will use both inkjet and toner devices depending on need and application. Some probably already are. As a dealer you should be selling and servicing both.
Textile Printing
Some opportunities lie in the future. You need to be aware of them, even if they are not something you are ready to pursue today. According to findings from ResearchAndMarkets.com, the global digital textile printing market attained a value of approximately $3.56 billion in 2024 and is further expected to grow at a CAGR of 18.50% through-2034, to some $19.44 billion.
This growth is rising in part due to consumer preferences, such as fast fashion and rapid (I want it now!) fashion cycles. Plus, there are sustainable and cost-effective advantages over traditional methods— like a run of a couple dozen shirts in color. While many of your customers are probably not a fit for this, there is room in the textile printing market for office technology dealers seeking to expand their offerings to new types of customers.
