Running a print shop, especially a smaller operation where you’re the sole owner/operator, means handling every department, including shipping, artwork, production, and sales. That’s sustainable at first, but as your order volume increases, customer list expands, and revenue grows, strategic hiring becomes the biggest factor in whether your shop scales smoothly or struggles to keep up.

That’s why we built the Inktavo Roadmap for Print Shop Hiring, to help you map out hires along every growth point in revenue.

Download the complete Inktavo Roadmap for Print Shop Hiring here

With the right plan, you’ll build a productive team, free yourself from day-to-day bottlenecks, and create the foundation for long-term growth.

Why Hiring Strategy is Important for Print Shops

Quite often, it’s easy to forget that as your order volume and revenue grow, the value of your time as a shop owner increases substantially. That’s why you need to allocate your time and delegate other roles so you’re putting all your efforts into growing your business.

For example:

• At $100K in revenue: Your time is worth about $25/hour. At this stage, you’re probably still managing sales, art, shipping, production, and customer service independently, with occasional part-time help.
• At $1M+ in revenue: Your time value is closer to $50/hour. By this stage, your shop should have a production manager and a production team, so you can focus more on scaling instead of simply keeping up with order volume.
• By $5M in revenue: Your time is worth as much as $250/hour. Your shop should be fully staffed in all crucial departments like sales, production, and shipping/receiving. At this stage, you should also focus on appointing strategic leadership roles, like a CFO or VP of Sales, to sustain your growth.

FAQ: Smarter Hiring in Your Print Shop

1. Why should print shop owners delegate tasks instead of doing everything themselves?

Delegating tasks frees you to focus on growth, leadership, and scaling strategies. Strategic hires, like production support or customer service reps, allow you to close this gap and grow faster.

Proof point: According to World Economic Forum, small, micro, and medium businesses often operate at only half the productivity of larger companies. Making strategic hires closes this gap. 

2. How can understanding costs and pricing improve hiring decisions in a print shop?

Hiring without knowing your profit margins can hurt cash flow. Before hiring new staff, calculate labor costs per job to ensure they support your bottom line.

Tools like Printavo’s Order Manager, InkSoft’s performance dashboards, and Inktavo’s pricing calculators help track costs and protect profits. 

Proof Point: McKinsey estimates that narrowing productivity gaps could unlock value equal to ~5% of GDP in advanced economies. That kind of growth potential underscores how much efficiency matters. 

Pro tip: Always measure the labor cost impact of a new hire before signing them on.

3. Who should I hire to keep my best print shop customers happy?

Start by hiring account managers or customer service reps (CSRs) dedicated to your top clients. Repeat customers generate the highest profits, and nurturing them ensures long-term loyalty.

Proof Point: Studies show the biggest scaling challenges are leadership and people. By investing in sales and service roles, you’ll strengthen retention, upsell more services like e-commerce stores or premium design packages, and increase lifetime value.

Pro tip: Focus on the top 20% of customers who drive 80% of your revenue.

4. How do I keep my print shop competitive in the online marketplace?

Today’s customers expect to order custom apparel and promo products online. Launch customer-friendly online stores, streamline design approvals, and offer fast digital quotes to stay competitive.

• Use InkSoft Online Stores for easy ordering.
• Leverage GraphicsFlow design libraries to speed up approvals.
• Capture more sales with Printavo’s online quoting.
  
  

Proof Point: The U.S. Census Bureau reports that e-commerce sales make up 16.3% of all retail sales, which proves that your customers are already shopping online.

Pro Tip: Train staff to manage your e-commerce workflow to reduce errors and boost order volume.

What’s Inside the Download

The complete Roadmap for Print Shop Hiring guide walks through:

• Revenue breakpoints: Hiring guidelines for $100K, $500K, $1M, $2M, $3M, and $5M stages.
• Role recommendations: Key jobs like production manager, HR, sales, and design support.
• Efficiency tips: Insights like outsourcing artwork, implementing modern software, and delegating HR.
• Long-term growth strategies: Such as hiring a leadership team and considering an eventual sale of the business.

Ready to Build a Team That Grows With You?

Scaling your print shop is about building a long-term plan so your business runs efficiently at every stage.

The Print Shop Hiring Roadmap gives you all the steps to follow for key moves like: 

• Adding your first part-time employee
• Building a production team
• Hiring executives at $5M

Download your free roadmap today and see how Inktavo’s solutions give you the tools to manage orders, price jobs, streamline design, and confidently scale your business.