NPES Third Quarter Equipment Shipments Data--Some Good News, Some Bad

Moving to Graphic Arts Supplies shipments, which includes film, plates, proofing products and the related chemistries, the 3rd quarter totaled $262.8 million which was down 9.7% from 2007 levels.We’re looking at year-end consumable shipments to total approximately $1.1 billion, which would be 4.7% down from 2007. As we have discussed before, the long term trend with supplies has been a steady decline in the aggregate as the printing industry continues the shift from analog workflows to digital. Printers have transitioned from computer to film to computer to plate and computer to press using less consumable materials and hence, the long-term decline.