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Several of the large players
in the printing and graphics industry have recently reported a decline in
sales, Q1 2011 vs. Q1 2012, among
them:
in the printing and graphics industry have recently reported a decline in
sales, Q1 2011 vs. Q1 2012, among
them:
– Cenveo
– Quad Graphics
– Pitney Bowes (they are not just in the
“mailing” equipment business)
“mailing” equipment business)
– Consolidated Graphics
– RR Donnelly
In spite of that, new
equipment continues to flood the printing and graphics marketplace. And, I do mean “flood”. It’s almost impossible to keep up with all of
the new gear companies are introducing.
You have to ask yourself, if printers are experiencing declining, rather
than growing, sales, and, if “print-on-paper” is expected to continue to be in a
declining mode in the years to come, then how will printing equipment
manufacturers continue to be able to justify significant R&D investments in
new printing equipment and technology?
equipment continues to flood the printing and graphics marketplace. And, I do mean “flood”. It’s almost impossible to keep up with all of
the new gear companies are introducing.
You have to ask yourself, if printers are experiencing declining, rather
than growing, sales, and, if “print-on-paper” is expected to continue to be in a
declining mode in the years to come, then how will printing equipment
manufacturers continue to be able to justify significant R&D investments in
new printing equipment and technology?
One friend put it like
this. “Right now – and continuing over
the next few years – we are seeing, and going to see, an explosion in digital printing equipment and
technology as digital printing equipment manufacturers (and inventors who
license their imaging technologies) push to replace traditional (i.e., offset)
printing equipment.”
this. “Right now – and continuing over
the next few years – we are seeing, and going to see, an explosion in digital printing equipment and
technology as digital printing equipment manufacturers (and inventors who
license their imaging technologies) push to replace traditional (i.e., offset)
printing equipment.”
I “guess” that means that,
over the next several years, we’ll be hearing that all of the large offset
printing companies will be acquiring new digital printing equipment to replace
their analog printing presses. That’s
already happening. But, that
“changeover” from analog to digital is going to be very expensive, and where
are the capex funds going to come from if sales continue in a declining mode?
over the next several years, we’ll be hearing that all of the large offset
printing companies will be acquiring new digital printing equipment to replace
their analog printing presses. That’s
already happening. But, that
“changeover” from analog to digital is going to be very expensive, and where
are the capex funds going to come from if sales continue in a declining mode?
As a “reprographer” by
background, I do remember when, beginning around 1995, high-volume-capable,
very fast, wide-format, b/w, multifunction, digital scanner / copier / printer / plotters (e.g. OCE 9800) began to make inroads in the
reprographics industry – began to replace analog diazo printers, and that
process seriously ramped up over the next several years. But, while reprographers were making the
decision to acquire this expensive new stuff to replace their old stuff, sales
were booming (because the A/E/C Industry and the real estate development
industry were booming!) It’s certainly
much easier to justify significant new capex when sales are booming (and
expected to increase from there!) It’s
an altogether different animal when you have to make significant new
investments in new printing equipment, when sales are dragging and expected to
further decline! I do think this is
going to force further consolidation in the printing industry market. Darwinian!
background, I do remember when, beginning around 1995, high-volume-capable,
very fast, wide-format, b/w, multifunction, digital scanner / copier / printer / plotters (e.g. OCE 9800) began to make inroads in the
reprographics industry – began to replace analog diazo printers, and that
process seriously ramped up over the next several years. But, while reprographers were making the
decision to acquire this expensive new stuff to replace their old stuff, sales
were booming (because the A/E/C Industry and the real estate development
industry were booming!) It’s certainly
much easier to justify significant new capex when sales are booming (and
expected to increase from there!) It’s
an altogether different animal when you have to make significant new
investments in new printing equipment, when sales are dragging and expected to
further decline! I do think this is
going to force further consolidation in the printing industry market. Darwinian!
Reprographics 101 
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