June 2022 shipments came in at $6.98 billion, up a tad from May’s $6.96 billion, making this the best June the industry has had since 2019—although it’s well below that month’s $7.54 billion. Shipments in June traditionally decline, but we’re happy to see this year break with tradition. The data here is bolstered by anecdotal evidence—printers generally say they are extremely busy, hampered only by challenges in getting paper and other supplies. And, actually, the fact that so many printers talk about the challenges they have in getting paper is a good sign as it indicates that there is a great demand for print from customers. And, ultimately, it’s demand for print more than anything that determines the health of the industry.

At mid-year, we have exceeded 2021’s shipments—January to June shipments for 2022 are at $40.73 billion, a bit over 2021’s $40.55 billion. We can certainly lose ground in the second half of the year, but so far, shipments data for 2022 is very encouraging.