Wide-format more buoyant than other print sectors shows report
Wide-format printers did particularly well during the economic downturn according a new study commissioned by Canon. The full analysis of the report, called Redefinition of the Digital Printer, will not be published until May, but Canon UK has revealed top line trends thrown up by survey of print service providers who were questioned about the impact of the recession on the European print industry over the last 18 months.
Professor Emeritus Frank Romano and a team of print media graduates from the Rochester Institute of Technology in the USA were commissioned to conduct the survey of 840 printers, 65.5% of whom are based in Western Europe. The key findings highlighted the importance of the adoption of digital printing to the survival of professional printers, and 86% of respondents said that display printing on wide-format printers had helped them to survive the downturn. Commercial printers, who had previously avoided wide-format as too niche, now discovered a growing market for signage and other display products as well as new industrial market segments for printing on fabrics, canvas and other materials.
The survey shows that while revenues from offset lithographic output declined by 18.1% in Western Europe during 2009 (compared with 2008), revenues from digital (toner and inkjet combined) output increased by a total of 27.2%.?
One of the key elements to survival during the recession has been business leadership. ?Those companies leading the recovery demonstrated that, by focusing on key selected markets (where they could add value) and by providing multi-media services (to differentiate themselves from competitors), they could ensure the long-term future of the business.
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