Graphic Arts Index
By Staff -- graphic arts online, 10/1/2003
The NPES equipment shipments report showed the usual seasonal first-quarter sales gain, but total sales were off 7.7% from a year earlier and 18% from two years earlier. Sales in the spring and summer, apart from seasonality, are likely to be steady based on printing equipment import reports through July. While imports were up 2% in the spring and were slightly higher than a year earlier, exports were steady, and sales of graphic arts supplies have been steadier. NPES reported first-quarter sales only 1.7% below the year-ago level. The production index for printing was 5% below the 2002-2003 year-end level, but has been steady for four months.
| Actual Monthly Value | Annual Percent Change | |||||
| 8/02 | 7/03 | 8/03 | 2002 | 20031 | 20041 | |
| Employment (1) | ||||||
| Printing | 704.2 | 693.7 | 691.7 | -7.6 | -2.1 | 1.0 |
| Publishing | 967.6 | 943.9 | 941.4 | -5.0 | -2.4 | 1.8 |
| Average Hourly Earnings (2) | ||||||
| Printing | 14.85 | 15.41 | 15.44 | 3.1 | 3.1 | 2.8 |
| Commercial Lithograph 2 | 16.35 | 16.82 | 16.82 | 2.5 | 2.2 | 2.9 |
| Printing Trades Machinery Prices (3) 2 | ||||||
| Printing Presses, Offset Litho | 162.4 | 162.4 | 162.4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.3 |
| Printing Presses, Other Than Litho | 169.4 | 163.8 | 163.8 | 0.6 | -2.8 | 1.0 |
| Binding Machinery & Equipment | 137.1 | 137.1 | 137.1 | 2.3 | 1.3 | 1.5 |
| Graphics Arts Machinery & Supplies Shipments (4) | ||||||
| Q1/02 | Q4/02 | Q1/03 | 2002 | 20031 | 20041 | |
| Printing Equipment Shipments | 671 | 547 | 619 | -10.3 | -1.5 | 6.3 |
| Graphics Arts Supplies Shipments | 328 | 331 | 323 | -8.2 | -3.8 | 3.2 |
| (1) Thousands of employees; U.S. Department of Labor (2) Dollars per hour; U.S. Department of Labor (3) Producer Price Index, 1982=100; U.S. Department of Labor (4) Millions of dollars 1 Forecast 2 Latest Data is for June |
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