Commercial Printing Industry Faces Challenges, Seeks Efficiency and Growth

PRINTING United Alliance survey reveals concerns about sales, profitability, and economic uncertainty in 2026

Published on Jan. 29, 2026

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Results from the PRINTING United Alliance State of the Industry Survey show that commercial printers faced challenging business conditions in 2025, with modest sales growth, rising operating costs, and flat or declining profitability. Looking ahead to 2026, printers are most concerned about increasing sales, maintaining profitability, and the overall economy. To address these challenges, they are prioritizing world-class efficiency through productivity improvements, cost controls, and automation, as well as profitable revenue growth by capturing high-margin sales, promoting their full capabilities, and diversifying beyond commercial printing.

Why it matters

The commercial printing industry is facing significant headwinds, including tariff policies, transformative technologies, and economic uncertainty. Understanding the key concerns and priorities of commercial printers can provide insights into the broader trends and challenges impacting the industry, which is an important part of the broader print and marketing ecosystem.

The details

The PRINTING United Alliance survey of 83 commercial printers found that through the first three quarters of 2025, sales increased just 0.3% on average, operating costs rose 3.9% while prices increased only 2.1%, and real (inflation-adjusted) sales declined 1.8%. Profitability was flat or down for 72.3% of respondents. Printers cited concerns about increasing sales, maintaining profitability, the economy, persistent cost inflation, losing work to print alternatives, and uncertainty from Washington.

  • The PRINTING United Alliance State of the Industry Survey was conducted through the first three quarters of 2025.
  • The survey results reflect the business conditions and outlook for commercial printers in 2026.

The players

PRINTING United Alliance

A trade association representing the commercial printing industry, which conducted the State of the Industry Survey.

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What’s next

The commercial printing industry will continue to navigate the challenges of 2026, focusing on improving efficiency, driving profitable growth, and leveraging emerging technologies like AI to gain a competitive edge.

The takeaway

The commercial printing industry faces a complex set of challenges, from economic uncertainty to transformative technologies, that are putting pressure on sales, profitability, and operations. To succeed in this environment, printers are prioritizing operational efficiency, high-margin revenue growth, and strategic investments in areas like AI and business intelligence systems.