Half of all respondents believe the wide format market has recovered from the economic downturn. Reflecting on sales in the fourth quarter of 2010, 25 per cent reported them better than 2009, 19 per cent said they were better than expected, and 39 per cent thought they were as expected.

The Economy Survey, conducted by InfoTrends, is the fourth of its kind to be undertaken by Fespa on behalf of its global wide format community.  Some 432 respondents worldwide completed the electronic survey at the end of 2010, almost half representing the service provider community, with the remainder comprising manufacturers (22 per cent), and resellers (18 per cent).

The survey also found that growth in demand among clients for environmentally sustainable print services is increasing as economic concerns abate, with 45 per cent reporting a spike in interest for “green” printing.

Nearly half of printers responding to the Economy Survey have already re-engineered their wide format production practices to become more environmentally-friendly.  For many this has been through attention to more eco-friendly media selection (71 per cent), improved waste management (59 per cent) and recycling (47 per cent). Some 59 per cent have also addressed environmental performance with investments in lowering solvent use through UV, latex or aqueous production.

Only 12 per cent of respondents have adopted alternative energy sources, though a further 13.5 per cent expect to do so going forward.  The vendor community has responded accordingly, with 72 per cent of manufacturers claiming to have developed or introduced products that support more environmentally responsible printing.

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