The second drupa Global Insights report is out, and highlights the applications that will drive growth for printers as traditional markets continue to stagnate. Growth applications include multi-channel marketing, on demand book publishing and digitally printed flexibles. The report found that for multi-channel marketing the payback period (investment divided by annual profit) was one year, which was the same for on-demand book production, while digitally printed flexibles had a payback period of 1.1 years. Short run batch book production had a payback of 2.2 years, while for digitally printed corrugated it says payback is five years. The report says that making new applications in packaging take off successfully is more challenging than other sectors for structural reasons.

On demand books: Growth area according to drupa report

The report, compiled from a survey of printers around the world, says that what is unequivocally clear is that ‘those tackling print applications more professionally in terms of planning, integration and marketing are on average investing more but getting proportionately more back by way of additional revenue and profit.’ The report is available form the drupa website www.drupa.com for Euro249.

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