Printing Not Among the Industries Worst Affected by the Recession

The steepening of the recession is certainly taking its toll on most manufacturers. In December 2008, total manufacturing shipments were down 12.0% from their year-ago level. Only two of the 21 major industry groups in the Census Bureau report showed December 2008 shipments above December 2007, with beverage and tobacco products rising 5.4% and food products up 0.4%. Printing industry shipments were down 5.9% December over December, significant but again far from the steepest decline among manufacturers.