The Rise of the Printing Industry in Australia

The leading printing industry manufacturers are moving their operations to Australia. With an estimated 6,500 enterprises operating and about 27,000 individuals working in occupations, printing, and art graphics are the main drivers of the economy and labor force.

The sector is successfully running a wide range of businesses and helping the creative industries distribute their goods. Desktop publishing, digital printing, graphic press, multimedia, print finishing, print manufacturing, printing, and screen printing are only a few industries the printing industry is responsible for managing independently.

A little over 18% of such a workforce is employed in the printing industry, where employment is projected to have decreased by 2.3% between 2019 and 2024. In contrast, graphic, web, and illustrator designers anticipate a 14% increase in their respective fields.

The market is migrating online, and individuals are more inclined to read online versions than print editions, resulting in a fall in some items like publishing newspapers and magazines. The source claims that research has shown that digital media is expanding quickly while print media is steadily declining.

These statistics show that more than 600 million people read newspapers in digital form, while more than 2.5 billion adults worldwide read newspapers in print, with that number rising steadily every year.

Although, a glimpse of light for the printing sector is the decorated Vivid ads. Vivid focuses on the latest printing machines; such machines are significant in the printing industry. They can complete larger tasks in a short period because they can print significantly faster and use premium inks. They were the first group in Australia to buy an HP fabric printing system. Additionally, Vivid Ads recently acquired an HP Indigo printer, which prints on rigid substrates quickly. Additionally, Vivid has spent over $500k on the setup of the Enfocus Switch software, an automated program that verifies and gets files ready for printing. Therefore, the proof is delivered to the customer, and within five minutes of receiving their approval, the order is submitted directly to printing.

The company has brought technological advancements into the printing sector and has given hope to the rise of the printing industry. It seems that some factors with technological advancements are expected to change the landscape of the printing industry in Australia, and such factors include:

1. The first is an offset of digital printing technology, which means that new digital printing technologies like commercial inkjet printing result in quick turnaround printing services and also indicate a reduction in the number of technical staff required for the printing process. However, accurate time management and prioritizing skills are also needed for employees.

2. The second is increased on-demand printing, primarily supported by modern printing technology. It allows booksellers and publishers to keep digital copies of books while only printing them when orders come in.

3. The third is the printing sector’s strong inclination toward 3D printing, which has the potential to have effects across all industries.

4. Lastly, automation is anticipated to have a longer-term impact on specific market segments, with print production workflow as one such area. More than 56% of suppliers, it turns out, wished to migrate to automated printing equipment.

These factors, along with companies like Vivid ads, are set to dominate the printing sector for the upcoming decade, and through technological advancements, it is expected to rise significantly.