Survey of U.S. commercial printers found great optimism, spotty cloud computing adoption, and rampant consolidation activities. Report is authored by Dr. Joe Webb and Richard Romano. 

WhatTheyThink is pleased to announce the immediate availability of New Dynamics of Commercial Printing: 2016, now available at the WhatTheyThink Store.  

The new executive report was prepared by Dr. Joe Webb and Richard Romano and includes an exclusive survey of WhatTheyThink commercial printer members. The report analyzes current and future business conditions, cloud computing, working with print management businesses, consolidation effects, and an overview of hot trends, cold trends, and those in between. A wealth of economic data—both national and industry-specific—are also provided and place the survey results into context. The report examines capital expenditures, employment, and other micro- and macroeconomic details. Dr. Webb's overview of the economy and industry forecast to 2021 are also included.

The survey, conducted in Fall 2015, found that commercial printers had a positive 2015, with many increasing sales revenues by +10% and more. The effect of promoting a business as a "marketing services provider" had a lesser influence on revenue than industry common wisdom often believes. Printers are very bullish about 2016, almost alarmingly so, a topic explored by the authors. 

A special feature of the report is the demographic analysis of commercial printing establishments by state and eight U.S. regions. The data show how these geographies changed from 2010 to 2013, including estimates of commercial printing sales volume. The base data for the analysis were created with the assistance of macroeconomic data firm ExpliStats.

Print business owners will find the report valuable for their planning to put the marketplace and their strategic actions in realistic perspective. Industry suppliers will benefit from the insights into printer decision-making processes. Suppliers will find the state and region demographic data useful for sales & distribution management planning. 

“You’d have to go back to the late 1990s to find such high levels of optimism in the printing industry,” said Dr. Joe Webb. “That’s good to see, but there are still some hard realities ahead. The past 15 years have seen tremendous consolidation. While conditions have largely stabilized, digital alternatives always seem to have something disruptive ahead.”

“Believe it or not, this is an exciting time to be involved in the printing industry,” said Richard Romano, “but not yesterday’s printing industry. It’s no longer ‘print’ vs. ‘electronic’ media; they all work together. The key to success is going to be knowing how to fight technology with technology.”

The report is available now on the WhatTheyThink Store for $349.  

Buyers who use the discount code ERC2016A will receive a $100 discount. Site licenses for multinational and multidivisional companies can purchase the report for $549 and use the same code for a $100 discount.

The link to the report is http://store.whattheythink.com/products/the-new-dynamics-of-commercial-printing-2016

Tables of contents, charts, and data can be downloaded free.

About the authors

Dr. Joe Webb is one of the graphic arts industry’s best known consultants, forecasters, and commentators. He is the director of WhatTheyThink’s Economics and Research Center. A 37-year veteran of the graphic arts industries, his “Mondays with Dr. Joe” well-known to WhatTheyThink members. He is a Ph.D. graduate of the NYU Center for Graphic Communications Management and Technology (1987), and has authored key industry books including Disrupting the Future and This Point Forward. 

Richard Romano is senior analyst for WhatTheyThink.com, the leading news and information portal for the graphic arts industry, for which he curates the Wide-Format special topic page. He also contributes to many other industry publications. He is the co-author, with Dr. Webb, of This Point Forward: The New Start the Marketplace Demands, and Disrupting the Future: Uncommon Wisdom for Navigating Print’s Challenging Marketplace.