Latest Commercial Printing Demographics Show 1,200 Fewer Establishments (Dr. Joe):The Commerce Department recently released the latest edition of County Business Patterns data about the number of US business establishments in 2011. Those data indicated that commercial printing establishments declined -4.1% compared to 2010. The biggest percentage declines were in establishments with 500 to 999 employees (between about $90 million to $200 million in sales), which fell by -11.5%, and establishments with 10 to 19 employees (about $1.5 million to $3.5 million) which fell -6.7%. The reason for the declines are numerous, from outright closure, and also acquisition or merger. Establishments can shift sizes, of course. Usually, troubled printing establishments don’t die without a protracted downward spiral. They decrease in size over time, and then, even after production stops, they still may have a few employees on the books to handle final administrative tasks like final tax returns and official dissolution.
