State of the Industry

there is no doubt that the printed products industry is dramatically different from what it was twenty years ago. Continued growth and success require diversification across product lines, and the days of specialization in one single niche are dwindling.

One-stop shop, value-added services, workflow solutions and a service-oriented approach are all catch phrases for one thing, end-users want fast, top-quality service for the best price. This is a fact that has always been and forever will be. So then, what exactly has changed? And, how can industry professionals continue to meet the needs of an end-user whose insatiable desire for technology and speed grow at a quickened pace? These are the questions being tackled in this year’s State of the Industry Report. BFL&S Magazine examined changes within the marketplace over the course of decades, looking back at the areas of growth and decline, along with the trends that set the bar in the 1980s, 1990s and the new millenium.

The luxury of hindsight is available through archives and from the print pros who have survived and adapted to the new era of print. This look back will help catch a glimpse at where the industry has been and what will propel it forward into the future.

So pull out that skinny piano-print tie, pop a Devo album onto the record player and get ready to “Whip It” back to 1986, the days when forms were king and twenty megabytes was considered adequate storage for two years worth of information for a company with a half a million dollars in annual sales.