Girls Who Print Report Maps Career Priorities for Women in Print

26 August 2026: Girls Who Print published its 2026 Industry Insights Report online on 25 August 2026, drawing on women’s experiences across the global print and graphic communications sector. The Girls Who Print industry report matters because it gives employers, educators and associations direct signals about retention, career development, technology, leadership and business ownership.

What does the Girls Who Print industry report cover ?

The report combines 210 responses to the 2025-2026 Girls Who Print Survey with recurring themes found in 242 applications to the organisation’s Mentorship Program. Those are two different evidence sets, not a single survey of 452 people. Girls Who Print used them to identify ten workforce insights.

Its public executive summary sets out the following themes ….

• Human skills remain a competitive advantage.
• Mentorship can help employers retain talent.
• Technology fluency increasingly separates prospective leaders.
• Professional visibility can support confidence and career progress.
• Defined career routes can make the sector easier for new talent to enter.
• More women are pursuing ownership and entrepreneurship in print.
• Knowledge-sharing communities can speed professional growth.
• Employers may already have their next leaders on staff.
• Business knowledge matters alongside technical ability.
• Packaging and specialty print offer areas for career and business growth.

These points come from Girls Who Print’s own survey and programme data. They describe the priorities reported within its network; the public summary does not claim that the sample represents every woman working in print worldwide.

Why do mentorship and career routes matter ?

Girls Who Print frames mentorship as a retention tool rather than an informal workplace benefit. The practical message for employers is simple: women want access to experienced people, visible opportunities and a route to advancement that does not depend on being noticed by chance.

That finding fits the organisation’s recent programme direction. In December 2025, Girls Who Print introduced the Advancement Resource Center as a career-development framework built around education, expert access and mentorship. Screen Print India previously reported on the ARC and its 2026 focus.

The recruitment issue extends beyond one organisation. A separate Screen Print India analysis asked why young professionals are missing from screen printing, citing low awareness of technical career routes and limited specialist training. The new report adds women’s stated priorities to that workforce discussion.

How is technology changing leadership in print ?

The report treats technology fluency as a leadership marker, but it does not reduce leadership to machine or software skills. Its ten themes pair technical confidence with communication, business knowledge, professional networks and the ability to share what people know.

For companies, that suggests a wider test for promotion. Technical performance still counts, while people who can explain technology, connect it to business decisions and help colleagues apply it may be better prepared to lead teams.

Where do women see new opportunities ?

Girls Who Print says more women in its network are building businesses or considering entrepreneurship. The executive summary also names packaging and specialty print as areas where respondents see room to grow. These are reported perceptions, not market forecasts, and the release provides no revenue projections for either segment.

The ownership finding matters because career progress does not always mean promotion within an established company. For some respondents, it means creating a firm, buying a business or selling specialist services.

Who should use the report ?

Girls Who Print offers the report to employers, educators, trade associations, business leaders and print professionals. Employers can compare its themes with retention and promotion data inside their own companies; educators can use them to review how well courses explain career options beyond entry-level production roles.

The PDF is free, but readers must provide a name, company and email address through the official report request form. Girls Who Print says it will send the document to the submitted email address.

FAQs ….

How was the 2026 report prepared ?
Girls Who Print analysed 210 survey responses and recurring themes across 242 Mentorship Program applications. The organisation then grouped the results into ten industry insights.

Is the Girls Who Print Industry Insights Report free ?
Yes. The organisation provides the PDF without a stated fee after readers submit the download form. The public page also contains an executive summary of the ten findings.