TORONTO—The single biggest takeaway from a newly released CPIA report on the printing industry is that while challenges abound, opportunities for growth exist, mostly via digital ancillary services.

The State of the Canadian Printing Industry 2011 report was produced  in partnership with Industry Canada and U.S.-based PIA. In March 2011 CPIA polled 105 printers across the country with the goal of determining how Canadian print firms are adding new services, identifying new opportunities and trends, and comparing the industry with its counterpart south of the border.
Here are some key findings:
• 23% of sales in 2010 came from respondents' largest customer; 50% of sales came form respondents' top five customers
• Creative design, mailing, and kit fulfillment are the top three value-added ancillary services
• Web-to-print e-commerce branded storefronts are adding more profits to bottom lines than most printers expected
• Toner-based digital presses and wide-format inkjet are the top two priority investments for printers
• Sheetfed printing is the largest printing segment, but it is shrinking, while toner-based digital printing is growing, compared to 2006
• The most important export destination is the U.S.
• Half of respondents idetntify themselves as commercial printers
• More than half of respondents are located in Ontario
• The average respondent employs 12 staff

To get your copy of the report, contact Industry Canada