Printing industry forecast: the industry measures annual Printing Forecast looks at trends that will impact commercial printing establishments in the next 12 months.

The Industry Measure has released Printing Forecast 2008: The Industry Measure Perspective on the Challenges and Opportunities For the Printing Industry in the Next 12 Months and Beyond." This annual report looks at the year ahead for printers, their clients and their suppliers. The 225-page report analyzes the prevailing economic environment, the current state of printing industry (drawing on both U.S. government data as well as The Industry Measures's own 13-year historical database of survey results), and details the major forces the industry will have to contend with in the next year.

"Printing Forecast 2008" also takes a close-up look at the most recent Industry Measure survey results on such industry topics as workflow automation, digital and variable-data printing, wide-format printing, web-to-print and more. The report also presents The Industry Measure's latest investment projections for more than 200 equipment, hardware and software categories.

"Printing Forecast 2008" supplements its analysis of the printing industry with snapshots of the print-buying markets--graphic design and production firms and publishing companies. The detailed examination of the creative markets puts the printing industry snapshot data in perspective, as the business and media trends and changes taking place in print-buying markets naturally affect the potential health of print providers.

The report also provides a comprehensive look at current media trends and how new media technologies and platforms, and an increasing emphasis on multichannel marketing, will likely impact the demand for print in both the near term and the long term.

"Business conditions for the printing industry have stabilized in the past two years and, have--dare we say it--improved," said a researcher at The Industry Measure. "But does more turmoil lies ahead? What trends are driving current business conditions? How will these trends play out in the next year? What can--and what should--companies in the industry do to better cope, succeed, and thrive?"

Highlights from the report:

* In fall 2007, 28 percent of commercial printers said business conditions for the past 12 months had been excellent, better than they had been in the 12 months before that.

* In fall 2007, 27 percent of commercial printers expect business conditions in the next 12 months to be excellent, or better than they had been in the past 12 months.

* In fall 2007, 41 percent of all print and prepress establishments surveyed said that "broadening digital printing services" was a top sales opportunity for the next 12 months.

* In winter 2007/2008, 22 percent of graphic design and production establishments expect that busihess in the next 12 months will be excellent.

* In summer 2007, 27 percent of publishers expect that business in the next 12 months will be excellent.

* In fall 2007, 24 percent of all print and prepress providers said they offered web-to-print services for their customers.

"Printing Forecast 2008: The Industry Measure Perspective on the Challenges and Opportunities for the Printing Industry in the Next 12 Months and Beyond" is available for purchase at www.theindustrymeasure.com or by phone at (866) 873-6310. The price for the 225-page report is $995. Industry Measure eStore customers can download this report in PDF Acrobat format immediately after purchase. An Executive Summary of this report is available for $99.

at a glance

* In summer 2007, 27 percent of publishers expect that business in the next 12 months will be excellent.

* In fall 2007, 24 percent of all print prepress providers aid they offered web-to-print services for their customers.

* In fall 2007, 41 percent of all print and prepress establishments surveyed said that "broadening digital printing services" was a top sales opportunity for the next 12 months.