PP: What do you think will be the printing industry's biggest challenge in the next few years?
AS: There will be two. One, a decline in overall printing and two, publishing across the board. According to a recent study from WhatTheyThink?, commercial print per capita barely ranges high from $495 in 1990 to a low of $273 in 2010. The biggest hit will be newspapers, magazines and large commercial printers that are just hanging on their last line of credit and these are the outfits which are in the denying state of this digital revolution. The few and best in the business practice who know their numbers from month to month will prosper because they are also making the slow, but steady, transitions and [are] accepting new challenges. For smaller and medium-sized printing companies to fill the gap, [they] must diversify in nontraditional services like websites, mailing services, signs, banners and promotional products. Some of them might create and market "apps" for smart phones and iPad-like devices. I will not be surprised if more than 50 percent of my sales come from these nontraditional services in the next five years.
- People:
- Alkesh Shah
- Places:
- Iselin
- New Jersey
- U.S.