InfoTrends expects that the printing, publishing and packaging market in the United States will see an overall increase by a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 0.6 percent from 2010 through 2015. InfoTrends¡¯ updated study titled U.S. Printing and Publishing Market Sizing: 2010-2015, shows a slight improvement from the market research firm¡¯s outlook last year due to the U.S. economy performing somewhat above InfoTrends¡¯ expectations for 2011.

The U.S. Printing industry is expected to grow by a CAGR of 0.4 percent from 2010 to 2015. ¡°The primary factor contributing to the stagnation of the printing industry is the impact of new, alternative media,¡± commented Steve Adoniou, director at InfoTrends. ¡°Any growth that will occur can be primarily attributed to value-added services, and to a lesser extent to digital printing and wide format digital printing.¡±

Other important trends impacting the printing industry are the migration of pages from offset printing to digital printing, operational consolidation, and production automation.

The publishing market is expected to see the most significant declines. This is mostly due to the continued decline and consolidation of the newspaper segment, which is the largest segment within publishing. Newspaper, periodical, and book publishing are being significantly impacted by electronic media and despite progress shifting their focus in that area, will continue to experience revenue loss in their traditional business. The packaging market will experience growth levels similar to general economic trends. Although not susceptible to electronic media, the packaging market is vulnerable to overseas outsourcing of manufacturing. However, it is expected to see moderate gains over the next five years.