Where's the Reprographics Industry headed? Here's where the Printing Industry is headed ...

In a recent presentation by Dr. Joe Webb at the PrintCEO Forum, Dr. Webb provided these numbers, which really caught my attention …..

PRINTING INDUSTRY EMPLOYMENT:

1990 – 816,000

2000 – 830,000

2010 – 495,000

2020 – Projected – 295,200

NUMBER OF PRINTING ESTABLISHMENTS:

1990 - 45,311

2000 - 39,035

2010 - 26,859

2020 – Projected - 18,481

Dr. Joe Webb frequently publishes on www.whattheythink.com, which is a web-site devoted to the “printing” industry. Many of “Dr. Joe’s” articles are too cerebral for me, but the presentation he gave at the recent PrintCEO forum was easy to follow and was, it think, very thought-provoking.

The presentation he gave is titled:

“Turbulent Path to 2020” - Are You Ready for a Revolution?” - and is about the technological, demographic, and other factors that will shape the print market of 2020. Slides and audio can be downloaded separately, for free. (Click “slides” or “audio” to download the presentation.)

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Dr. Joe Webb’s Bio….

Dr. Joe Webb is one of the graphic arts industry's best-known consultants, forecasters, and commentators. He is the director of WhatTheyThink's Economics and Research Center.

A 32-year veteran of the graphic arts industries, his "Mondays with Dr. Joe" column has become a must-read feature on WhatTheyThink since 2003. His economic forecast webinars and industry presentations assist C-level executives, owners, and analysts to understand how changes in the economy, technology, and the industry, affect their strategic decisions.

He is a Ph.D. graduate of the NYU Center for Graphic Communications Management and Technology (1987) and has served on the Center's Board of Advisors. He holds an MBA in Management Information Systems from Iona College (1981), was a magna cum laude graduate in Managerial Sciences and Marketing from Manhattan College (1978), and was a member of its economics honor society. He has taught graduate and undergraduate courses in marketing, market research, quantitative analysis, business policy, and organizational behavior. Dr. Webb started in the industry with Agfa's Graphic Systems Division, was a marketing executive with Chemco Photoproducts, and entered consulting full time in 1987. In 1994, he founded the influential TrendWatch information service, sold to multinational publisher Reed Elsevier in 2000. His first book, “Renewing the Print Industry,” received wide recognition, and was the subject of many keynote speeches and workshops.

His latest book, "Disrupting the Future: Uncommon Wisdom for Navigating Print's Challenging Marketplace" was published in Spring 2010, and written with Richard Romano, has been described as "the manifesto for a new generation of printers."