This is no ordinary time for commercial printing. Extreme uncertainty created by no-one-knows-what’s-next tariff policies has dampened sales, inflated operating costs, and squeezed profit margins across the industry. Meanwhile, transformative technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), the Internet of Things, and smart robotics redefine what’s possible and widen the gap between top performers and everyone else.
Results from the PRINTING United Alliance State of the Industry Survey (SOI) show how challenging business conditions have been for the 83 commercial printers who participated. Through the first three quarters of 2025 and on average, sales increased just 0.3%, operating cost inflation ran ahead of price increases 3.9% to 2.1%, real (inflation-adjusted) sales, a measure of production, declined 1.8%, and pre-tax profitability was flat or down for 72.3% of respondents. Conditions are described as “troubled waters, with tariffs and rising costs all over the place,” and “confusion and economic uncertainty, which are causing clients to delay or defer projects and reduce run size.”
Commercial printers surveyed broadly agree that the challenges of 2025 will continue in 2026. Specifically, 61% are most concerned about increasing sales, 52.4% about maintaining profitability, and 51.2% about the economy. Persistent cost inflation, particularly labor and substrate costs, losing work to print alternatives, and uncertainty created by Washington.