According to INTERGRAF, the European trade association of the printing world, coronavirus has had a substantial but fortunately not so devastating impact on the European printing industry, represented by 109,000 companies, 603,000 employees and a turnover of 79 billion Euros. While it is true that many companies have postponed their paper advertising campaigns by at least six months, mail advertising is back and the forecast looks encouraging. According to Smithers, ink printing will increase until 2024, with a growing trend towards customisation. Closing the European overview is Great Britain, where the impact of coronavirus on the printing world was major. The lockdown caused 70% of orders to be cancelled (estimates: PICON), with huge consequences on employment. However, while the situation is complex for those with a traditional, wait-and-see approach, there is no shortage of opportunities for the companies that invest to offer new products with high added value, sustainable proposals and specific consultancy.

Further away from home, according to IPAMA, India is aiming to return to normal within 6-9 months. Although production was down by 50% in June 2020, the prospect is to reach 70% in a month's time.

The United States which saw a 5% recession for the printing sector do not expect recovery to begin until 2021 (APTech estimates).

Finally, printers in China are focusing on new technologies and integration, after the market suffered a more than 30% blow in recent months according to data from the PEIAC association.

Credits: Photo taken from Intergraf presentation