Global Print Establishments Decline, Smithers Says
14 July 2026: Global print establishments fell 7.9% between 2019 and 2024, according to market-research firm Smithers, as traditional print demand weakened and greater automation lifted output per press.
At a Glance ….
– 353,707 print facilities operated worldwide in 2024, versus 384,102 in 2019.
– Employment was 3.4 million in 2024, down from 3.9 million in 2019.
– Smithers’ report, The Future of Printer Demographics to 2031 is dated June 30, 2026.
Smithers says the contraction has affected every region, though the pace has varied. Asia accounted for 41.9% of establishments in 2024, compared with 40.5% in 2018, and 55.4% of the sector’s employees. The research attributes the region’s larger share to a slower rate of decline, backed by domestic demand, population growth and export activity.
That higher share does not necessarily mean the number of Asian facilities rose. Smithers says Latin America and Eastern Europe recorded the sharpest percentage falls in sites, while North America saw the largest decline in employee numbers.
Publication and graphic printing have faced the sharpest pressure. Newspaper, magazine and advertising print volumes have continued to shift online, while book printing and some industrial applications have shown more resilience. Smithers expects packaging and labels to keep expanding, but notes that these segments are not included in the establishment and employment totals cited in the report.
Automation is also changing the economics of print. Higher-output presses can replace older equipment, reducing the number of sites and the labour needed to produce the same volume. Smithers expects automation to spread further through 2031 as companies respond to skilled-labour shortages and seek higher productivity.
The report also flags recruitment as an enduring problem. Printing has struggled to attract skilled operators, partly because the work is less compatible with remote arrangements than many other fields. Smithers says training and automation could reduce the pressure, but expects employee numbers to remain under downward pressure.
On sustainability, the research says print continues to face environmental scrutiny, while debates around the energy use of digital infrastructure are becoming more prominent. It also expects AI use to mature cautiously, particularly in content distribution.
The Future of Printer Demographics to 2031 covers regional trends, workforce data, productivity and competitive pressures through 2031. Smithers lists the report at USD 6,750.
https://www.smithers.com/resources/
