NAPL Reports Pause in Print's Recession Recovery

Published: July 26, 2002, By PRESS RELEASE

PARAMUS, NJ -- Print's recovery from the recession has paused, reports the National Assn. for Printing Leadership. The news is featured in NAPL's summer 2002 issue of its quarterly Economic Edge newsletter.

Among the 300-plus printers surveyed monthly by the NAPL Economic Research Center fewer now report that business is picking up, while more report business is slowing down. NAPL says two respondents report decreasing work-on-hand for every one reporting the opposite case. "Concurrently, adds the trade group, "the NAPL Printing Busines Index (PBI), a comprehensive measure of printing activity, has slipped to its lowest level in four months."

NAPL VP and chief economist Andrew Paparozzi notes, however, none of the data means the industry's recovery is in jeopardy. "Barring a setback in the war on terrorism," he states, "print sales will strengthen progressively with the economy and advertising over the next 12 months. Print sales this year will grow just 2.2 percent to 3.4 percent, with most of the growth delayed until next fall. Next year, industry sales will grow as much as 7.3 percent."

A trade association for the commercial printing industry, NAPL is a non-profit group representing the $88 billion sector. Visit NAPL at napl.org.