2005 COMMERCIAL PRINTING outlook -- A Win-Lose Proposition

Branch also see the need for improving productivity to make up for cost increases in paper and ink, in particular. To those concerns he adds that the job market has improved sufficiently to dry up the available labor pool, so employee training and retention are more important than ever.

Emboldened by the accuracy of his recent multi-year projections, PIA's Davis has also taken a stab at making a longer term forecast for industry sales. Assuming overall U.S. economic growth averages 3 to 3.5 percent per year over the next five years (2005-2010), total printing shipments should grow around 2 to 3 percent per year, he says. Both numbers are adjusted for inflation.