Commercial Printing Outlook -- Build Up in Down Time

SAYING THAT 2008 is ending on an unsettled note may be the mother of all understatements, but it is the most meaningful way to characterize the economic outlook for 2009. And, bad news for the economy is worse news for printing industry sales. As recently as September, the Blue Chip Economic Indicators consensus forecast projected the American economy to grow 1.5 percent in 2009 but, by November, it was calling for the economy to contract by 0.04 percent, according to Andrew Paparozzi, chief economist and vice president of the National Association for Printing Leadership (NAPL).