September Printing Shipments Up +$198 Million; Five Months of Increased Shipments

We sent this edition of PrintForecast Perspective later in the day to allow us to report the latest Commerce Department data for commercial printing shipments for September. The most important quarter of the year for the printing industry is September, October, and November.

September printing shipments were up +$198 million compared to September 2005, an increase of +2.4%. This was the fifth month in a row of increased shipments. On an inflation-adjusted basis, it was the second consecutive month of real increase in shipments, up by +$36 million in inflation-adjusted dollars. August’s current dollar shipments were revised higher as well, by $5 million, making August’s rise $302 million, or +3.8%.