The new Printing Outlook 2022 report provides detailed analysis of the latest WhatTheyThink Business Outlook Survey, the latest industry economic data and macroeconomic trends, as well as industry and cultural technological trends to look out for in 2022 and beyond.

WhatTheyThink is pleased to announce the immediate availability of Printing Outlook 2021 now available at the WhatTheyThink Report Store.

Some highlights:

• 17% of print businesses surveyed said that revenues for 2021 had increased more than 25% compared to 2020.
• All told, more than three-fourths (78%) of print businesses surveyed reported an increase in revenues in 2021 compared to 2020.
• The top challenge this survey is seemingly ripped from the headlines: “consumables and supplies pricing” was selected by 56% of respondents. “Pricing” is number two, selected by 41% of respondents.
• While “improving economic conditions” is the top opportunity, cited by 40% of respondents, it is down 10 percentage points, while the pre-pandemic number one—“customers outsourcing more work to us”—is back up to 37% and at a high point for this item.
• Almost one-fourth (23%) of our respondents have no planned investments for 2021—although top items for those planning on spending are binding/finishing equipment and high-speed production inkjet equipment.
• A whopping 71% our respondents have hiring plans for 2022—and the top positions being sought this year are postpress/binding/finishing staff and press operators.

The executive report looks back at 2021 as well as ahead to what the industry can expect, economically and technologically, in 2022 as the economy at large and the industry in particular continue to recover from the pandemic. What pre-existing trends have been amplified by the pandemic, and what new trends have emerged? How will they play out in 2022 and beyond?

The report features the results of the WhatTheyThink Printing Industry Business Outlook Survey conducted in Fall/Winter 2021, and includes current and expected business conditions, top business challenges, top business opportunities, and planned investments for 2020. Additional questions asked about the new application areas shops are looking to get into—such as textiles, packaging, 3D printing, and production inkjet—as well as hiring plans for the next 12 months, what positions are being sought, and how they are searching for employees.

The report also offers the latest government data on printing industry shipments, establishments, profits, and employment, as well as the economy in general, and includes an industry forecast to 2031, as well as some technology and cultural trends the industry should prepare itself for in 2022.

Print business owners will find the report essential for their planning, in order to put the marketplace and their strategic actions in realistic perspective. Industry suppliers will benefit from the insights into printer decision-making processes and the foundation of new industry demographic data that debuts in this report. Non-economic trends also offer ideas for what to pay attention to in the new year, and larger cultural and technological; trends indicate where marketing professionals and brandowners will likely be focusing their promotional dollars.

“In some sense, 2022 is our third, Groundhog Day-like attempt at starting 2020 after the great success we had in 2019,” said Richard Romano, author of the report. “The industry survived the pandemic and is now ready to resume the strategic plans that were made before they were so rudely interrupted. Still, staff issues and scarce supplies and making it a bit of a challenge.”

The report is available in the WhatTheyThink Report Store at https://store.whattheythink.com/downloads/printing-outlook-2022/.