Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/tl9r8c/printing_market) has announced the addition of the "Printing Market Report 2013" report to their offering.

This Key Note Market Update examines the UK printing industry; this market is hard to define due to its scale, with a number of products merging into other industries. The printing industry has been changing significantly over the last decade as many new innovations have affected sales, while the 2009 recession and subsequent uncertain economy has also negatively impacted the market. With regard to new innovations, technological advancements have posed the main threat to the industry, such as the growth of the Internet and the availability of online information.

Despite this, the industry is currently undergoing some new developments of its own, including the anticipated three-dimensional (3D) printing, which is set to change the industry significantly in the future.

In terms of specific sectors, advertising literature printing remains the largest sector in value terms, however, it has faced some challenges from the growing availability of online marketing and the recent rise in the cost of postage. Other large sectors include programmes, tickets, vouchers and business cards, which over the last couple of years has shown impressive growth, attributed to the iconic London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Approximately 8 million tickets were sold for the event, which boosted sales for a number of printers, while other merchandise and printed products were also needed for the event.

The book industry is another large contributor to the printing industry; sales of books are understood to have fared well throughout the recession, however, e-readers and their coinciding e-books are the largest current threat to traditional print sales. In addition, many e-readers are also compatible with digital magazines and newspapers, which are believed to have lost sales over recent years.

Despite this, manufacturers' sales of books have remained stable, benefited by a number of recent commercial successes, notably titles that have been adapted into films. These adaptations often benefit the book industry significantly as a lot of free' advertising becomes available for the original book around the time of the film's release.

The future of the printing industry remains fairly uncertain, as the gloomy economic forecast is expected to dampen sales. Technological threats will additionally continue to negatively impact the industry, notably sales of advertising literature. In addition, while the current book market remains predominately made up of sales of print books, over the forthcoming decade the ratio between printed books and e-books is forecast to narrow.

This change, if long-lasting, could significantly impact printers' sales indefinitely, while overall the printing industry will continue to be affected by the digital era.

Companies Mentioned

- BPIF Excellence Awards

- De La Rue

- Fortress Paper

- HSW Print

- Printing.com

- St Ives

For more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/tl9r8c/printing_market