Where Have All The Printers Gone?

[prwhite]

US DOC data indicates there has been a 45% decline in the number of printing companies & employees over the last 20 years. In 1997 there were over 42,000 printing companies employing 820,000 people. So, what’s happening?

Digital printing, workflow automation, consolidation & the Web have had a dramatic effect, with a steady 41% increase in worker productivity, compared to 20 years ago. These trends will likely continue as workflow becomes more integrated & data driven, and as devices become faster, more reliable & self-sufficient. According to Jeff Hayes–Buyer’s Lab / InfoTrends–printers need to keep investing in high-speed inkjet, workflow & analytics.

What to expect:

• More multiple-device, high-volume commercial printers,
• More customized workflow,
• Adding new products to the mix,
• Trade show overlaps, with lower attendance,
• Increasing buyer sophistication.

To view the chart & read the entire article: click on the link.

 

[JustinB]

Sometimes I wonder if this industry is the victim of change (like butter churners and horse and buggy manufacturers) or if it's the victim of perhaps an "automation at all costs" mentality that aims to strip all human interaction out of as much of the process as possible.

The idea of "extreme efficiency" and "humanless production" sounds really great until enough industries go this way and we eliminate so many jobs and so much economic activity that there aren't enough people left with good enough jobs to need, or afford our services anymore.

 

[Guest]

Not sure why this was left out BUT.... Here in California there are large mail houses set up that take incoming containers full of printed products from China to process and mail drop. We have also lost a ton of our packaging printing with outsourced product manufacturing in Asia and Latin America. Also, since the passing of NAFTA, many printers in the southwest have seen plants spring up in Mexico to beat the high minimum wage, Air Quality, and OSHA standards that reign in the Peoples Republic of California. It's evident that technology advances that have increased efficiency in printing processes and decreased the need for paper printed products also have had a big effect, but don't discount the impact of the U.S. government regulatory and trade policies when asking "Where Have All the Printers Gone?"

 

[PricelineNegotiator]

Not sure why this was left out BUT.... Here in California there are large mail houses set up that take incoming containers full of printed products from China to process and mail drop. We have also lost a ton of our packaging printing with outsourced product manufacturing in Asia and Latin America. Also, since the passing of NAFTA, many printers in the southwest have seen plants spring up in Mexico to beat the high minimum wage, Air Quality, and OSHA standards that reign in the Peoples Republic of California. It's evident that technology advances that have increased efficiency in printing processes and decreased the need for paper printed products also have had a big effect, but don't discount the impact of the U.S. government regulatory and trade policies when asking "Where Have All the Printers Gone?"

This. Hopefully we kick NAFTA to the curb. There are a few notable printers that print right over the US-Canadian border that will be in big trouble once Trump enacts his plan. Hopefully Vistaprint gets rekt, all of us could use your business card work.

 

[Slammer]

Not sure why this was left out BUT.... Here in California there are large mail houses set up that take incoming containers full of printed products from China to process and mail drop. We have also lost a ton of our packaging printing with outsourced product manufacturing in Asia and Latin America. Also, since the passing of NAFTA, many printers in the southwest have seen plants spring up in Mexico to beat the high minimum wage, Air Quality, and OSHA standards that reign in the Peoples Republic of California. It's evident that technology advances that have increased efficiency in printing processes and decreased the need for paper printed products also have had a big effect, but don't discount the impact of the U.S. government regulatory and trade policies when asking "Where Have All the Printers Gone?"

Just out of curiosity, what is the minimum wage in your part of the world?

 

[PricelineNegotiator]

The standard cost of living might also be imperative to know.

 

[Guest]

Just out of curiosity, what is the minimum wage in your part of the world?

The importance is not on the minimum wage in California, but rather the competing minimum wage in countries that we participate in so called "free trade" with. If we are forced to compete with other countries, we should be allowed to compete on a level playing field. Which means, same environmental regulations, same safety regulations and same wage scale. Wouldn't it be nice if our companies were able to compete in other markets? Have you ever heard of a printer exporting products to Mexico or China? Yeah... neither have I.

 

[davarino]

Our firm exports to Mexico whenever someone is willing to pay what a good piece is really worth.

And amazingly, really good Mexican workers come to the U.S. for better wages.

It all evens out... over the course of a century or two.

 

[Guest]

Our firm exports to Mexico whenever someone is willing to pay what a good piece is really worth.

Can't imagine that anybody is exporting much printing to Mexico. They can produce high quality printing there for much less. We'd all export if they paid us enough to make it worth it.... that's the point. We have been hamstringed by heavy handed regulations and costs that they don't have..... Not just Mexico, but many others. Probably why the Midwest blue wall crumbled in the last election as the problems printers have are synonymous with most manufacturers.

"Where Have All The Printers Gone?" is the title of the post... not... "WOW look at all the print exports". Kind of speaks for itself.

Ever notice there is a big export market for our auctioned and liquidated equipment into Latin America and Asia?

95,000,000 Americans out of the workforce. Labor participation rate now at lows that haven't been seen since the 70s. Govt assistance / Food stamp usage at an all time high. $20,000,000,000,000 in national debt. $800,000,000,000 annual trade deficit. All of these numbers continue to trend upwards at a rapid rate. Can't see how this would ever just "balance out"

 

[PricelineNegotiator]

"Can't print your job right now, I'm fighting the globalists!"

 

[Slammer]

The importance is not on the minimum wage in California, but rather the competing minimum wage in countries that we participate in so called "free trade" with. If we are forced to compete with other countries, we should be allowed to compete on a level playing field. Which means, same environmental regulations, same safety regulations and same wage scale. Wouldn't it be nice if our companies were able to compete in other markets? Have you ever heard of a printer exporting products to Mexico or China? Yeah... neither have I.

Not too sure how that will work, best case it gives me a prickly feeling in the back of my neck, would you want America (or Europe for that matter) to go down to the level of other countries, I don´t want my enviroment to degrade more than what it already has and you can´t keep paying your people less and less and less and expect them to survive, that way you will get a huge gap between the rich and the working poor with all the negative social consequences.

 

[Danny Whitehead]

Not too sure how that will work, best case it gives me a prickly feeling in the back of my neck, would you want America (or Europe for that matter) to go down to the level of other countries, I don´t want my enviroment to degrade more than what it already has and you can´t keep paying your people less and less and less and expect them to survive, that way you will get a huge gap between the rich and the working poor with all the negative social consequences.

Environment? Social consequences? Who cares, so long as the demand for printed stuff is maintained and I'm paying no more for my equipment and consumables?

Uhm, wait a minute.

 

[Correct Color]

Sorry, but...

From your water bill to the newspaper to the phone book to annual reports, just about anything that was printed 20 years ago can be delivered and read electronically now.

That's why litho is dying, and Donald J. Trump with his "plan" to do something "terrific" is not going to save you from that.



Mike Adams
Correct Color

 

[Danny Whitehead]

We're gonna build a wall, and the future's gonna pay for it.

 

[Guest]

I've struck a raw nerve here! LOL !

All these arguments would be good ones IF pollution stopped at borders and massive influxes of migrants didn't have any financial, environmental and social costs. Trade needs to be equitable so American companies can compete for business in their own cities. Even Bernie Sanders agreed with this concept. PLEASE.... Be honest..... WHO here has sold ONE single job that was exported to China??? If you come to LA.... You will see container after container full of printed materials to flood our markets. Devalued currency, unfair trade policies and NO environmental controls are to blame. We just need to have policies that enforce the same rules on our trading partners as we have for ourselves. The trade deficits are not sustainable for the future of our children.

BTW.... via Breitbart news this morning..... "Border wall bids are due today"

 

[gordo]

Trade needs to be equitable so American companies can compete for business in their own cities.

I'm not sure I understand what you mean. American [printing?] companies are free to compete wherever they wish. Whether they can compete successfully is another matter. There are no guarantees for success in a capitalist system.

PLEASE.... Be honest..... WHO here has sold ONE single job that was exported to China???

Why would a Chinese business buy printing done in the U.S. when they can match, or deliver, better presswork using their local suppliers?

If you come to LA.... You will see container after container full of printed materials to flood our markets.

They are not flooding the market. They are servicing the U.S. customers who choose to purchase their goods.

Devalued currency, unfair trade policies and NO environmental controls are to blame.

People who choose to purchase from Chinese suppliers are to blame.

We just need to have policies that enforce the same rules on our trading partners as we have for ourselves. The trade deficits are not sustainable for the future of our children.

That is one of the reasons that China is exploring other business/trade opportunities. For example, while the U.S. is trying to go back to 19th century technology with coal for energy, China on the other hand has become the world's leading country in electricity production from renewable energy sources, with over double the generation of the second-ranking country, the United States.

This issue is not new - don't blame the supplier, blame the buyer.:

 

[Guest]

Not sure why people here are so pro-other countries. They advocate for our companies to pay people more and follow stricter guidelines and then advocate for trade policies that undermine those same companies. WEIRD. Oh well. I guess we are about to see what the effects of more fair trade policies are. I read this morning that already trade deficits are falling as is the unemployment rate.

The title of the post is "where have all the printers gone?". Well, follow the printing equipment. Next time you sell a press, good chance (at least in my area) that it gets exported to Mexico, China, Vietnam or India. Facts are stubborn things.

 

[Slammer]

Environment? Social consequences? Who cares, so long as the demand for printed stuff is maintained and I'm paying no more for my equipment and consumables?

Uhm, wait a minute.

The trend would seem to be that the pendulum on globalisation is swinging backwards with the rise of populist politics, the market may or may not find equilibrium in the coming years. I am not optimistic however as "the west" simply can´t compete with markets that do, for want of a better word, slave labour and screw the environment. Problem is that I see no way you can get "the west" to drop standards that have been fought for and paid for with blood and social upheaval that much to be able to operate on a level playing field.
On the other hand Asia is dragging up standards by the bootstraps, China is in the process of creating a middle class from scratch and they seem to be succeeding and we all know the advantages of having an intact middle class and they are not going to be working for a bowl of rice for much longer. So where are the next cheap "slaves" coming from? Follow the money. China is investing massively in Africa, building infrastructure and buying governments. If I were to be a betting man I would see the next generation of cheap crap stamped with "Made in Africa"

 

[Danny Whitehead]

The trend would seem to be that the pendulum on globalisation is swinging backwards with the rise of populist politics, the market may or may not find equilibrium in the coming years. I am not optimistic however as "the west" simply can´t compete with markets that do, for want of a better word, slave labour and screw the environment. Problem is that I see no way you can get "the west" to drop standards that have been fought for and paid for with blood and social upheaval that much to be able to operate on a level playing field.
On the other hand Asia is dragging up standards by the bootstraps, China is in the process of creating a middle class from scratch and they seem to be succeeding and we all know the advantages of having an intact middle class and they are not going to be working for a bowl of rice for much longer. So where are the next cheap "slaves" coming from? Follow the money. China is investing massively in Africa, building infrastructure and buying governments. If I were to be a betting man I would see the next generation of cheap crap stamped with "Made in Africa"

Yep, I don't think a race to the bottom would benefit western printers.

I've read/watched a few interesting things about the new 'scramble for Africa' over the last few years. A particularly good, but not so political one was about African railways.

 

[AP90]

The trend would seem to be that the pendulum on globalisation is swinging backwards with the rise of populist politics, the market may or may not find equilibrium in the coming years. I am not optimistic however as "the west" simply can´t compete with markets that do, for want of a better word, slave labour and screw the environment. Problem is that I see no way you can get "the west" to drop standards that have been fought for and paid for with blood and social upheaval that much to be able to operate on a level playing field.
On the other hand Asia is dragging up standards by the bootstraps, China is in the process of creating a middle class from scratch and they seem to be succeeding and we all know the advantages of having an intact middle class and they are not going to be working for a bowl of rice for much longer. So where are the next cheap "slaves" coming from? Follow the money. China is investing massively in Africa, building infrastructure and buying governments. If I were to be a betting man I would see the next generation of cheap crap stamped with "Made in Africa"

Im not so sure that Africa will end up panning out. The "northeast" which is egypt, somolia, etc, will not allow Asia or the western world in there. They're too linked to the muslim world in the middle east, which won't allow it. The southern part seems to be the best parts of africa (actually heading to south africa in a few months) and is really built on tourism and safaris/hunting. I don't think it would go over well being out on a safari looking for lions and seeing the smokestacks of power plants and car manufacturers. "Western" africa is still basically uncolonized, so that might be the best bet. But lots of lives will be lost, and plenty of people would be reluctant to go. Go ask a co-worker if they want to go to The Congo and see what they're reaction is.

Plus, they west is heavily invested in diamonds and guns within Africa.