US commercial printing industry profits were up in the third quarter of 2011, marking the eighth consecutive quarter of positive results. Though the industry has been going through hard times in terms of sales, rising profits have been a sign of the industry’s restructuring and the departure of its weakest establishments.
For the last four quarters, inflation-adjusted profits were $3.96 billion, and finally exceeded the low level of 2005. These were the best four-quarter profits level since the four-quarter period ending in 2007, when profits were $4.3 billion, and inflation adjusted sales were $112 billion, about $27 billion more than the $85 billion that has been estimated for 2011.
