It is 2020. The printing industry is flourishing. The right-sizing of the last two decades has resulted in a smaller but more stable industry. The worlds of print and electronic communication have sorted themselves out and there is less competition and more cooperation. Almost every printed product has an electronic counterpart, whether a Purl or a website accessed via QR code or new approaches using printed electronics.

The printer of 2020 is an information factory. The reproduction device is no longer the center of attention. It is all about the workflow. Jobs come in as electronic files and are processed by integrated programs. Where a substrate is required, files are prepared for any of a plethora of devices, digital and analog, big and small.

Digital printing is a core capability, using toner, inkjet ink, and new e-ink, called "enk." Because of the integration of finishing, digital printing is more automated. Offset litho is still a major process but has lost half its volume to digital printing. Finishing is the major mechanical area left over from the old printing industry.