Canon reveals initial results of study into impact of economic downturn on the printing industry

The survey, the third to be sponsored by Canon Europe and conducted by Professor Emeritus Frank Romano and a team of print media graduates from the Rochester Institute of Technology in the USA, provides a further snapshot of the state of the printing industry. The results of the previous Canon ‘Insight’ studies into the future of digital printing and into the CRD (Central Reprographic Department) market were published in May 2008 and May 2009 respectively.

For this third survey, Professor Romano’s team interviewed the largest sample to date, a total of 840 printers, 65.5% of whom were based in Western Europe. The sample included 383 of the 464 interviewed for the 2008 study, the remaining 81 having either merged or gone out of business.

The final analysis of the survey is currently being completed and the results will be published in May 2010. The key findings of the survey demonstrate how important the adoption of digital printing has been to the survival of professional printers and how those emerging from the recession are likely to be better positioned to exploit future opportunities and overcome future challenges-