The next twelve months will see a rise in investments by the global printing industry in spite of continuing structural headwinds, according to drupa’s first Global Trends Report. Printers in industrialised countries, the report says, are being lured by efficiency gains and new services, with the US in particular gearing up for high levels of investment in printing technology, IT and new services. In emerging countries, growing demand is the main driver of investment.

The report also confirms the industry’s ongoing structural transformation, with increasing costs, declining prices and shrinking margins a common trend around the globe. Digital print technology is continuing to grow, with some 65 per cent of print service providers now using both conventional and digital methods, and one-third of commercial printers gaining 25 per cent or more of their turnover from digital work. However, 29 per cent of printers surveyed say they plan to invest in sheetfed offset printing. Some 2,500 decision-makers from 119 countries participated in the survey in the 2013 fourth quarter. The majority came from print service providers (58 per cent), followed by suppliers (21 per cent) and print purchasers (21 per cent). This first edition of the Global Trends report aims to provide an initial assessment of the state of the global industry; surveys repeated in the fourth quarter of each year will monitor trends going forward. In tandem with the annual trend reports drupa will release a series of Global Insight reports focusing on specific industry-relevant topics. The first, on ‘The Impact of the Internet on Print’, kicks off the series in June 2014.

Comment below to have your say on this story.

If you have a news story or tip-off, get in touch at editorial@sprinter.com.au.  

Sign up to the Sprinter newsletter