Book printing and book reading is one of the success stories of humankind, spreading knowledge and entertainment. With increasing literacy and more people able to afford books, book printing enjoyed centuries of growth, despite the occasional setback during wars and other crises. This changed only recently when the ereader was introduced, and, in addition, electronic media sapped the time available for reading books.

This is reflected in the book printing revenues for Europe. From €7.6 billion in 2010, revenues declined during the euro crisis, to rebound somewhat and then to decline again—presumably due to more digital channels for books and less time to read.

Against that background, it is interesting to notice that book printing revenues had an uptick in 2019 to €7.1 billion, up from €6.8 billion in 2018. This is in line with the development of publishing revenues. Some of the growth can be attributed to a rebound after the noticeable drop in 2018, however it is likely that the printed book is increasingly holding its own.