MISSISSAUGA, ONT.—Printers love their equipment, but like the saying goes the course of true love is never smooth. This is especially true in tumultuous financial times when new investment decisions are never easy to make. Graphic Monthly Canada’s Technology Survey makes clear that printers are looking to invest in the future.

The majority of the 143 respondents to the Technology Survey plans on increasing investment in equipment, hardware and software in the next three years. The top goal of those investing is to increase profitability (67%), slightly fewer respondents cited their top reason to invest as wanting to enter new markets and head in a new direction (58.5%).

So what’s on the shopping list for those investing? The top five items printers said they plan to buy in the next three years are:

-Web-to-print, web storefronts, ecommerce: 43.6%
-Digital presses – variable: 28.7%
-Bindery/finishing equipment: 28.7%
-Digital infrastructure, Workstations, servers: 26.7%
-Workflow systems: 24.8%

The complete results of the Technology Survey are available in the February issue of Graphic Monthly Canada. To get your free subscription to the magazine, click here.