The printing and publishing industry—which includes commercial printers, newspapers, book and periodical publishers, greeting card companies, typesetters, book binderies, platemakers, and others—is the fifth largest employer of all U.S. manufacturing industries with 1.56 million in 1998. In Washington, printing and publishing is the state’s fifth largest manufacturing industry (behind transportation equipment, food processing, lumber & wood products, and industrial machinery & computer equipment) with 23,600 employees.

Figure 1

Employment in Washington Printing & Publishing Industry, 1947-1998
Source: Washington Employment Security Department

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The United States is the world’s largest market for printed products. The demand for printed products is determined by a number of factors including general economic activity, disposable personal income, advertising expenditures, business formations and transactions, and appropriations for schools, libraries, and institutions. Growing competition from the U.S. electronic media are forcing U.S. printers and publishers to reappraise their traditional markets. Printed products originally issued as books, magazines and newspapers, directories, newsletters, and reference materials increasingly appear in the form of audio books, laser disks, compact disks, software, facsimile, and on-line information. A number of U.S. printers have responded by establishing facilities to produce electronic materials and media of their own including compact disks for their publishing customers and magazines and newspapers for their on-line readers. The growing dissemination of information in these non-print forms will require resources for printers and publishers to remain competitive in an increasingly electronic world.

During the 1980s, Washington’s printing and publishing industry created jobs more rapidly than any other manufacturers in the state. Average annual growth for the printing and publishing industry during the decade was 3.7 percent, twice that of all manufacturing and faster than the statewide nonfarm employment growth of 2.9 percent. Although printing and publishing’s extraordinary growth has not been sustained in the 1990s, the average annual rate of growth (0.9 percent) continues to be above all manufacturing in the state.

Figure 2

Annual Employment Change in Washington Total Manufacturing and Printing & Publishing, 1948-1998
Source: Washington Employment Security Department

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Printing and publishing’s expansion has been linked to growth in several key industries that are major customers for the printing business. In Washington, the single most dramatic factor explaining the growth of the printing and publishing industry is the boom in computer-related firms in the Puget Sound region. Computer products, whether hardware or software, inevitably requires a technical manual. The growth of the computer software industry in Puget Sound has fueled a substantial and growing market for local commercial printers. Advertising agencies are another important client group for the printing industry. Gross receipts for advertising agencies grew over 25 percent between 1987 and 1992. The finance, insurance, and real estate sectors are also large consumers of printing services. The linkages of the printing and publishing industry to the growth of these sectors—computer hardware and software, advertising agencies, and the finance, insurance and real estate sectors—is supported by evidence from the most recent Washington State Input-Output Study. Relevant sectors for printing and publishing are wholesale and retail trade; finance, insurance, and real estate; and business services, a sector that includes both advertising and computer software.

Figure 3

Number of Establishments in Washington Printing & Publishing, 1981-1998
Source: Washington Employment Security Department

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In terms of gross state product, printing and publishing’s share has remained relatively stable between 1982 and 1997. The sector’s index of specialization has not yet reached 1.0; implying that printing and publishing in Washington contributes less to the state economy compared to its national counterpart.  

Figure 4

Printing & Publishing in Washington State: Share of Gross State Product, 1982-1997
Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis

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In 1997, Washington’s printing and publishing industry produced $2.3 billion of product. With 23,550 employees, printing and publishing accounts for six percent of the total 1998 manufacturing workforce in Washington.

Average annual wages in the industry amounted to $31,316 in 1998, about three-fourths of the statewide average annual wage of $42,247 for all state manufacturing workers. Hourly wages in printing and publishing are distributed similar to that of all nonfarm wage and salary workers in the state.

Table 1

Real Average Wages for Washington Covered Printing & Publishing Workers, 1981-1998 (1998 dollars)
Sources: Washington Employment Security Department,
U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis

Figure 5

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Of the 1,466 establishments currently operating in the state’s printing and publishing industry, the vast majority have 20 or less employees.  

Figure 6

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The labor force in the printing and publishing sector is dominated by operatives and laborers. Common printing and publishing occupations within this group are printing press operators, offset lithographic press setters, other machine operators, packagers, printing strippers, and paste-up workers. Clerical, professional and technical, and sales occupations are also important in printing and publishing.

Table 2

Occupational Profile of Printing & Publishing Workers in Washington,
1998 and 2008
Source: Washington Employment Security Department

The crucial determinants of long-run prosperity of the printing and publishing industry in Washington is the pace of overall economic growth in the state, along with the growth rate of the personal computer software industry, and the success of the local advertising industry and performance of the finance, insurance, and real estate sector. State economic forecasters predict modest growth for the printing and publishing sector. By 2020, printing & publishing employment will be at 25,250 workers; only 8 percent above 2000 employment of 23,330 workers.

Figure 7