Printing Not the Only Industry Suffering

While the printing industry has been hit hard by the economic downturn, it is by no means alone. Based on data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s Manufacturers’ Shipments, Inventories, & Orders report, printing was one of 10 major manufacturing groups in which shipments fell in 2008. However, printing’s 3.9 percent decline for the year was not the worst, points out NAPL's Printing Economic Research Center (PERC). Seven other industries recorded steeper declines, with textile products (-12.3 percent) and transportation equipment (-10.3 percent) topping the list. Total manufacturing shipments were up 2 percent for the year.