Survey Shows Printers Increasing Profitability
Profit leaders—printers in the top 25 percent of profitability—saw profits increase slightly to 9.9 percent compared to 9.6 percent last year. This rate of profit brings profit leaders to their highest level since before the recession in 2007.
According to the 2013 survey results, materials accounted for the largest single cost category for the typical printer—approximately 36 percent of sales. Total materials expenses increased slightly in 2013 from their previous level of 35.5 percent in 2012. Paper alone consumed more than one-in-five sales dollars last year. Other major costs incurred by printers last year included factory payroll (24.6 percent of sales), down from 24.8 percent in 2012; factory expenses (16.9 percent of sales), down from 17.6 percent in 2012; and administrative and selling expenses (19.3 percent of sales), down from 19.6 percent in 2012.