Anyone that keeps up with The Onion may be aware of the satire that was published online years ago about how printing was dead.
I actually thought that too until I joined the Japanese printing industry. But just like oil, it’s everywhere ,and a very profitable market at that too.
According to a Japanese census taken about the printing industry in 2012, it is about a $50B industry with about 28,000 establishments in the country. It is estimated that the market will be worth about $54B in 2015 based on figures provided in Japanese by:
http://hansoku-legend.jp/now-the-printing-industry/
Printing isn’t just related to paper, but things like tags sewn into our clothing, packaging, shirts with designs, or laminated table tops play an everyday part in our lives. Maybe unknown to many of us are also items that include:
- ebooks,
- epubs,
- email brochures,
- apps,
- GUI interface
- or digital signage
But wait, what does that have to do with printing?
Nowadays many printing companies have also included content creation such as technical writing, design, and translation ; Therefore, creating an opportunity for businesses to outsource their entire content development to the printing industry.
Case in point: user manuals
For example, big-named companies often hire printing companies for creating their manuals from start to finish. Depending on the client’s request, a manual could be produced either as a small booklet, pdf, or even app.
Overall, as long as the printing industry continues to constantly evolve to meet the needs of consumers/clients, it will continue to stay relevant in the marketplace.