First NPES Industry Summit Explores Optimistic View of Print’s Prospects

“I don’t think I have been this optimistic in at least 15 years,” Smythe said. “The last time we met, we had seen from 2004 that it looked like the industry was starting to come back. Now, it is clear we have had sustained growth.”

Ronnie Davis, chief economist at PIA/GATF, agreed, noting that U.S. printers’ sales reached $171 billion in 2006, a gain of 3.3 percent over the previous year and a major rebound from a low point of about $156 billion in 2002.