(For Cary Sherburne’s Print Franchise Review, see here.)

If nothing else, the pandemic year of 2020 proved that there is power in a union, that being part of a national (or international) network of print and sign businesses—a franchise—helped get many shops through a difficult year. And as the industry (and world) spent 2021 recovering and winding up to have a go at 2022, the sign franchises are in better shape than ever.

Two particular issues dominated this year’s sign franchise review, and you probably don’t need me to tell you what they are: employment (aka “The Great Resignation,” or whatever we want to call it) and problems with getting supplies, such as paper and other consumables for print, aluminum and other materials for signmaking, and so on. That these were also the top two challenges cited by print businesses in general in our “Fall 2021 Print Business Outlook” survey (the results of which appear in our new “Printing Outlook 2022” report) indicates the extent to which the print and sign franchises are a useful barometer with which to gauge the condition of the industry in general. It also helps confirm the results of other sources of industry analysis.