Book Printing Outlook — Opportunities Abound

ONE THING is a safe bet when it comes to handicapping the fortunes of the book manufacturing sector: Those who stay in school will definitely go far.

The book platform is rife with challenges. Overseas printers can offer attractive production cost savings and adequate turnarounds in segments that aren’t as time- sensitive, such as coffee table books. One-color has become a bubbling commodity cauldron for print- on-demand digital applications; a boon for publishers that don’t want to carry excess inventory but, from this side of a playing field, it resembles a feeding frenzy for printers with comparable equipment.