30 July 2015

Growth maintained at expense of prices and margins - cautious optimism permeating tough climate

The second quarter of the year pushed on with an improved output performance – above expectations – but a slower rate of growth in orders. Compared to Q1, more printers in Q2 were able to increase output (41% compared to 33%), according to the latest Printing Outlook survey. This surpassed the Q2 forecast and, with 37% holding output steady and 22% reporting a decline, ensured that the Q2 improvement (the balance between ups and downs) was 19; below many recent quarterly recordings, but above Q1 and above the Q2 forecast. Furthermore it extends the positive run for output to over two years.

Also in Printing Outlook this quarter: 

• Pay Reviews – activity and average % changes.
• Web to Print - just how much of printing companies turnover is currently derived through Web to Print?
• Data on capacity, productivity, costs, margins, investment and more.
• Consumables – paper consumption data and printing ink volumes and values.
• A more in-depth look at energy costs.