COMMERCIAL PRINTING OUTLOOK — PRINTING WORK TO RUN SHORT

Looking at the industry on the macro level, Webb says the more he’s analyzed the data over time, the more evidence he’s found that the industry is experiencing a general decrease in sales. Demand is declining at roughly the same rate in all segments of the industry, the researcher contends.

General economic data still has relevance in forecasting printing industry sales, Webb notes, but what he gives the most weight to are developments on the demand side and trends in media use. “We are still undergoing some radical changes in the way people use media,” he says. “The inability of printers to get any kind of increase in pricing is a sign of weak demand.”