Robotics Take the Copier Channel Floor, Shaping a New Path Forward

The last time a service call turned a profit, someone still had a fax machine in the corner. These days, it’s toner deliveries, firmware updates, and a quiet bet on robots that move more than just paper.

By Robert G. Jordan

Writer, NorthStar Intelligence
Observing tech, work, and what comes after

Greg Walters, Art Post, and Kevin Neal aren't shy about predicting change. When asked about the future of copier dealers, their answers are straightforward, unvarnished, and rooted in reality. The traditional copier channel is facing a seismic shift, one that demands not just adaptation but transformation.

The Paper's Almost Gone. Now What?

 Executive Brief for Leaders in the Copier and Office Tech Channel

By the time you read this, the ship has already turned. Shipments are down. Devices sit idle. Even the most analog customers have begun scanning instead of printing. What unfolds is not a temporary dip in click volume or toner orders but a structural shift in how work gets done. Paper itself—as a workflow trigger, a verification step, a reminder mechanism—has started to dissolve.

Get our detailed report, here.

Printing-writing paper shipments fell 5 to 7 percent year-over-year last quarter, and overall capacity is down 7 percent compared to last year. Uncoated Free Sheet grades have seen the steepest drops. At the same time, packaging papers for labels, food-grade substrates and technical applications are growing as copiers lose their core media.

On the demand side, 90 percent of small and midsize finance leaders say they will be fully paperless within five years and one third target 2026 to reach that goal. Yet most admit they lack real-time visibility into cash flow. Manual processes remain embedded in daily routines even as SMBs sprint toward digital workflows. That disconnect is your opening.

Most office technology dealers still sell like it is 2013. Subscription this. Bundle that. Cloud connectors and app libraries. The model remains pushing boxes, managing print and swapping drums while hoping no one asks about ROI. That era is over.

They're Making Less: Near-1 million-ton Drop in Office Paper Capacity in 2024

Reinventing the U.S. Printing-Writing Paper Market

​​Walk into any corporate print room today and you’ll find paper sitting untouched. The copiers hum, but not for printing. They scan, they fax, they feed documents into cloud platforms.

Paper shipments are slipping by 5 to 7 percent each year. Meanwhile, packaging grades grow at 5 percent and digital billing cuts back-office print by nearly 30 percent . Dealers used to compete on toner prices. Now they compete on software integrations, AI analytics and sustainability guarantees.

This shift isn’t theory. It’s happening now. The ten steps in our report aren’t recommendations, they are the playbook for surviving and thriving when paper use becomes a relic.

Key Findings

90% of CFOs Just Declared War on Paper. Are You Still Selling It?

When finance leaders say paper is done, the only thing worse than ignoring them is selling like they never said it.

by Celeste Dame 🚀🧠

You’ve heard “paperless” before. Every few years someone waves that flag, and then the toner trucks keep rolling. But this time’s different. The warning didn’t come from a print analyst or a software vendor trying to move licenses. 

It came from CFO.com. 

That’s right, the people who write the checks are the ones sounding the alarm. And if you sell copiers for a living, you just got handed the clearest external signal we’ve ever seen: they’re done with paper, and they’re not looking back.

Woodhull LLC Goes All In on Employees with Full ESOP Transition

June 2025

DAYTON, Ohio – After 75 years of steady, family led growth, Woodhull LLC has taken a bold step in its evolution. The company has transitioned to a 100 percent employee owned structure through an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP). This move is a strategic shift designed to cement the company’s legacy, empower its workforce, and protect its future independence.

Signs of a Sale: Why GreatAmerica Might Be the Next Wells Fargo Acquisition

"Liquidity in Blue"

With regulatory shackles lifted and signs of internal restructuring underway, GreatAmerica looks primed for acquisition. Ray says Wells Fargo is circling, and the evidence supports him.

By Celeste Dame 🚀🧠

Ray Stasieczko didn’t start with speculation. He opened with a simple thesis: something’s going on with GreatAmerica, and it isn’t just routine repositioning whisper through regulatory filings, leadership exits, and carefully trimmed portfolios. For those watching closely, the whispers around GreatAmerica Financial Services have become deafening. A recent video commentary by industry voice Ray Stasieczko, host of The End of the Day with Ray, makes a bold claim: Wells Fargo is poised to acquire GreatAmerica.

At first glance, this might sound like barroom speculation or vendor gossip. But when you connect the dots-economic conditions, regulatory green lights, executive turnover, and strategic cleanup-the picture that emerges isn’t rumor.

Let’s walk through the key signals, the logic behind the move, and why Wells Fargo may soon hang its banner over one of the most respected independent finance firms in the country.

From Copiers to Cyborgs: Why Sales Reps Must Learn LLMs or Be Left Behind

This isn’t about saving the industry, it’s about saving your seat at the table.

This article was inspired by the timely and insightful work of Louella Fernandes and the team at Quocirca. Their 2025 "State of the Industry" report is not only essential reading for anyone in the print sector, it is a strategic call to action for those of us still clinging to legacy sales models. Louella’s research confronts the uncomfortable truths head-on, mapping out the very fault lines shaking our industry. Her clear-eyed analysis and bold projections served as the foundation for everything you're about to read.

If you're in copier sales, office tech, or MPS, I strongly recommend digging into Quocirca's full study. They aren’t just chronicling the changes. They're lighting the path forward.

Celeste

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The office print industry is in the middle of an identity crisis, and if you sell copiers, it’s time to wake up or risk being replaced by the very machines we once ruled over.

According to Louella Fernandes and Quocirca's 2025 "State of the Industry" study, we are staring down the barrel of a 2030 where just 9% of customers say print manufacturers will own the customer relationship.