FESPA has announced the relaunch of its Print Census, involving a new and more frequent approach to gathering and sharing vital industry intelligence with its members.
Returning in 2025, the revamped Print Census – which is being run in partnership with FESPA’s Thought Leadership Partner, Keypoint Intelligence – is designed to better reflect the changing nature of the speciality print and signage landscapes. Surveys will be conducted at an increased frequency of two every 12 months and each one will focus on three topics. Subsequently, after each survey, three reports (one for each of the focus areas) will be released.
The new approach will allow FESPA members to consider market trends and stay ahead of evolving customer demands and industry shifts.
Graeme Richardson-Locke, Head of Associations & Technical Lead at FESPA, comments: “The print sector is always developing, and our community needs up-to-date insights to stay ahead. Changing the FESPA Print Census from a three-year cycle to shorter surveys every six months will help us to deliver more timely, actionable insights to our members. Increasing the frequency of the Print Census also supports regular benchmarking by focussing printers on market shifts and emerging trends. Our new approach ensures that we’re listening more often and more clearly, making it easier for businesses to share their experiences and highlight evolving opportunities.”
Key enhancements to the FESPA Print Census include:
- More frequent surveys to capture changing trends and deliver more relevant insights.
- A more user-friendly format, making it easier to complete in 10 minutes
- To support broader global participation, surveys and subsequent reports will be available in multiple languages.
The first survey will focus on three key areas that are influencing the print industry landscape: sustainability, artificial intelligence (AI) in printing operations, and process automation.
- Sustainability: How to meet market demands without sacrificing profitability. Environmental responsibility is an important consideration for print buyers, with 72% factoring in sustainable products and practices. Notably, 70% of print service providers (PSPs) report they can meet these sustainability demands without increasing prices, and an additional 22% have raised prices without negatively impacting sales. This indicates that investing in sustainable solutions not only aligns with customer expectations, it can be economically viable and reduces risk too.
- AI in printing operations: Enhancing efficiency and personalisation. AI is increasingly integral to printing operations. AI-driven tools are optimising prepress workflows, automating job scheduling and improving colour management. For instance, AI-powered systems can dynamically assign jobs based on real-time capacity and workload, reducing idle time and enhancing overall efficiency. Additionally, AI facilitates personalised printing by analysing customer data to create tailored materials at scale, making personalisation more practical and scalable.
- Process automation: Streamlining production and reducing bottlenecks. Automation is addressing the industry’s need for faster turnaround times and the handling of low-volume jobs. The industry continues to experience increased demand for quicker turnarounds, and a rise in low-volume job requests. Implementing automation can help to eliminate bottlenecks, allowing businesses to increase throughput and reduce labour costs.
This survey will be open from May and will collect responses until November. Results reports will be published in late 2025.
First launched in 2015, the return of the Print Census supports FESPA’s commitment to providing its members and the wider speciality print community with actionable, data-driven insights that facilitate innovation, productivity, growth and resilience.