Trends at College and University In-plants
Higher-ed in-plants now get nearly one-fifth of their revenue from wide-format printing, according to a new In-plant Impressions survey of college and university in-plants. Roll-fed wide-format printing is provided by 90% of higher-ed in-plants, up from 84% two years ago.
IPI Editor Bob Neubauer will present the results of this research in a session at the Association of College and University Printers (ACUP+) conference (April 14-18) in Rochester, New York. But in-plants can download the report in advance here.
While the average number of employees at college and university in-plants has remained steady over the past two years, average annual sales of $1.4 million represent a 1.3% growth over 2023 numbers. The services and applications fueling this growth are detailed in our latest research, along with an analysis of which services are expanding and which are in decline.
Also revealed in this new report:
- 83% of college and university in-plants are either fully or mostly self-supported.
- More than 60% report an increase in print volumes compared to last year.
- Stopping customers from sending print jobs offsite has become this sector’s greatest challenge.
- 90% of higher-ed in-plants have added or upgraded equipment in the past two years.
Learn more about college and university in-plants by downloading our latest research report.
Bob has served as editor of In-plant Impressions since October of 1994. Prior to that he served for three years as managing editor of Printing Impressions, a commercial printing publication. Mr. Neubauer is very active in the U.S. in-plant industry. He attends all the major in-plant conferences and has visited more than 180 in-plant operations around the world. He has given presentations to numerous in-plant groups in the U.S., Canada and Australia, including the Association of College and University Printers and the In-plant Printing and Mailing Association. He also coordinates the annual In-Print contest, co-sponsored by IPMA and In-plant Impressions.
