Special Reports

Ashley Roberts is the Managing Editor of the Printing & Packaging Group.

Denise Gustavson is the Editorial Director and Special Projects Editor for the Printing & Packaging Group, which includes Printing Impressions, packagePRINTING, In-plant Graphics and Wide-Format Impressions magazines, among other brands. She is also the Editor-in-Chief of Wide-Format Impressions.

To better understand the current state of the supply chain and the economic outlook, the second quarter 2022 State of the Industry Update focused solely on measuring evolving supply chain dynamics, how printing companies are responding to them, and what can be done to prepare for an economic downturn.

The Top 25 Hot Markets will account for 97% of total printing in the U.S. in 2022. New and evolving categories and impending declines in traditional mainstays are realities we must address in a post-COVID-19 world

Wide-format printers surveyed by PRINTING United Alliance and NAPCO Research view 2022 with a mix of optimism and realism. They expect to grow and see opportunity in a broad range of products. But they also expect supply shortages and labor shortages — and all the problems they create — to continue deep into the new year. Central to their plans: capital investment that promotes productivity, expansion into new markets, and automation.

Print today is more than ink on paper: it’s ink on metal, glass, ceramic, and other substrates, creating products people encounter in their daily lives, from the signage they see, to the doormats they walk on, and the backsplashes adorning their kitchens. But like adding any new service, there are different considerations with these applications, including the technologies involved, and what markets and trends are driving these opportunities.

Over the past several years, a renewed intensity in sustainability has emerged with new focuses on microplastics; ocean plastics; circular economy; environmental, social, and governance (ESG) scoring; and extended producer responsibility.

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