2 November 2017

Pick-up in output and orders despite a fluctuating Q3

Pick-up in output and orders despite a fluctuating Q3 - cost pressures and uncertainty shakes confidence for Q4.

Expectations were surpassed for the third quarter of 2017, at least in terms of output, following a disappointing Q2 - however printers' forecasts for Q4 remain subdued. The latest Printing Outlook survey shows 50% of printers increased output levels in the third quarter of 2017. A further 30% held output steady whilst 20% experienced a decline in output. The resulting balance (the difference between the ups and the downs) was +30; quite a bit more than +14 in Q2 and well above the Q3 forecast of +15. The latest Q3 balance compares favourably to last year's equivalent Q3 balance of 2, and is marginally above the other Q3 balances from recent years.

In Printing Outlook this quarter:

• BPIF Brexit Barometers - to gauge and monitor confidence during Brexit negotiations and forecast conditions after Brexit.
• UK Printing and Packaging trends and forecasts - confidence, costs, pay reviews, capacity, productivity, margins, paper consumption, ink sales volumes, insolvency statistics and more.
• Data, forecasts and commentary on the UK economy and the advertising sector.

Thanks to all survey respondents for their participation, a concise survey has continued to encouraged a good response this quarter. Sponsorship from Konica Minolta means all respondents will receive a printed copy of Printing Outlook. Please respond to the next survey in January to ensure that you receive your copy in the future.

The full Printing Outlook report is available as a free download to BPIF members using the 'More on Printing Outlook' web link below.

There is also an unrestricted press release available on the download link below.