SGIA report highlights print market convergence

Convergence - where PSPs offer services and products beyond their traditional scope - showed up significantly in the latest Specialty Graphic Imaging Association’s (SGIA) Quarterly Industry Benchmarking Report.

The proportion of printers that identified as serving at least two industry segments (graphic and sign, apparel, functional, commercial print), ranged from 31.9% (apparel) to 63.3% (commercial). According to the data, additional segments may bring in more than one-quarter of revenue, on average, as seen with graphic and sign producers, for whom commercial printing contributed 26.9% of revenue. The study looks at the products and markets printers currently serve, their growth potential and desirability. “We ask the printers what they do, how they do it and what the outcomes - such as sales, production, employment, product pricing and profitability - are,” said Olga Dorokhina, research coordinator, SGIA. “Comparing their current business indicators with their expectations allows us to learn about their goals. Our next series of quarterly reports will explore how they plan to achieve their goals.” The second quarter research currently underway focuses on financial ratios. Other surveys planned for 2019 are on wage, salary and sales compensation (Q3), and growth strategies and capital investments (Q4). Each survey includes input from panels of PSPs, suppliers and manufacturers, with questionnaires supplemented by interviews.