Printers remain upbeat about the future of their businesses despite falling prices and margins and generally worsening financial conditions, according to a drupa survey.

In its second Global Trends report, the world’s biggest trade show says 19 per cent of Australia/Oceania printers said the condition of their business in 2014 was better than the year before and 69 per cent were ‘optimistic’ about the prospects for in the next 12 months.

Local suppliers were also happy, with 27 per cent content with their business’ performance in 2014, and nearly 50 per cent remaining optimistic about the next 12 months.

This optimism is despite prices continuing to slump, even though global revenues for printers are up 39 per cent, compared to 22 per cent who have seen revenues decline.

The survey shows just 15 per cent of the global printers managed to get better prices last year, while 38 per cent said prices have declined. No region reported an improved picture year-on-year.

[Related: First drupa report]

Australian printers are getting more out of their presses than the rest of the world, however, with 56 per cent reporting improved utilisation, compared with 41 per cent the previous year.

Despite the surge in utilisation, margins continue on the downward spiral, down from 28 per cent in 2013 to 15 per cent last year in the Asia Pacific.

Just 16 per cent of the global printer panel reported that they had grown margins over the last year and 43 per cent said that margins had declined.

According to the report, 34 per cent of the global panel of printers described their business’ current condition as ‘good’, and 13 per cent said it was ‘poor’, compared to 21 per cent the previous year.

The report, designed to track key economic and market developments in the global print industry leading to drupa 2016, is based on a survey of more than 1100 participants, including Australian printers.

The report also surveyed some 304 suppliers from across the globe. Among the global suppliers, 36 per cent said their companies in 2014 were in good condition, and 17 per cent reported poorer conditions, the report says.

The suppliers were also more optimistic about the next 12 months with 51 per cent globally expecting their companies to improve and eight per cent expecting a decline.

“Europe, Australia/Oceania show great weakness reflecting the fragile economic performance in those regions while the softening of economic prospects for Asia and South/Central America are reflected in poor overall measures,” the report says.

Australia/Oceania supplier’s revenue was the worst of any region, reporting a 14 per cent decline, despite the regional pattern for supplier revenues showing an overall net positive balance.

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