Printing Business Improving

The Industry Measure (formerly TrendWatch Graphic Arts) has released a report entitled “Printing Forecast 2007: The Industry Measure Perspective on the Challenges and Opportunities for the Printing Industry in the Next 12 Months and Beyond.” The report contends that “business conditions for the printing industry have stabilized in the past two years, but more turmoil lies ahead.”

Among the figures it presents:

• Three out of 10 graphic design and production establishments expect that business conditions in the next 12 months will be “excellent.”

• 76% of graphic design firms cited “collateral print projects” as a top sales opportunity, up from 74% six months earlier.

• 72% of catalog publishers cited “direct mail projects” as a sales opportunity, up from 69% one year earlier.

• 22% of commercial printers said business conditions for the past 12 months had been “excellent,” better than they had been in the 12 months before that.

• 29% of commercial printers expect business conditions in the next 12 months to be “excellent,” or better than they had been in the past 12 months.

• One-third of all print and prepress establishments said they planned to invest in new printing equipment in the next 12–18 months.

The report is available at www.theindustrymeasure.com.