The State of the Commercial Printing Industry

Doc's favorite thing to write about is things that are free. But every so often I have to acknowledge that good content can't all be free and link to a for-profit research report. Such is the case today when I suggest it might be worth $250 of your hard-earned money to buy something.

If you care about the condition of the commercial printing industry, then I think a new report from printing-industry Web portal WhatTheyThink.com should get your attention.

WhatTheyThink recently announced the availability of its July 2010 Business Conditions Report: The WhatTheyThink Overview of the Current Economic State of the Industry. This 73-page report provides the results of the Economics and Research Center's June 2010 survey of print business owners, and compares these results to past quarterly surveys to provide an accurate gauge of how print businesses and professionals perceive the economic landscape, how those perceptions are changing, and what actions they are likely to take in response to challenging economic times.

In addition to their own survey results, WhatTheyThink provides the most current data available on printing industry shipments and profits, employment, and other economic indicators.

According to the report:

• Almost one-half (46%) of respondents to the ERC's June 2010 survey said that revenues had increased in the first half of 2010 compared to 2009, up from the 34% who said this in March 2010.

• Eleven percent of respondents said that business decreased more than 10%, down from the 22% who said this in March.

• Optimism is up a little amount from March, as 17% of June respondents expect 2010 revenues to increase by more than 10%, up from 10%.

• Thirty-eight percent of respondents said they plan to attend Graph Expo by sending owners or top executives.

The Report also provides WhatTheyThink's outlook, conclusions, and recommendations. You can find an order form and more information for the report here.