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2026 Midyear Market Update

2026 Midyear Market Update - The Print University

Mid-year 2026 Market Update


Hosts: Ryan McAbee & Pat McGrew

In episode 100 of The Print University, Ryan McAbee and Pat McGrew deliver a mid-year 2026 market update focused on print’s next move, current industry headwinds, and practical actions print businesses should take over the next 90 days. The discussion is especially relevant for commercial printers, in-plants, wide format providers, transactional printers, direct mail producers, book manufacturers, and fulfillment operations navigating changing demand patterns.

The episode highlights cautious optimism across the printing industry, with many providers still expecting profitability and modest revenue growth. However, the hosts caution that geopolitical uncertainty, inflation, postal disruption, and materials volatility require conservative planning. A major theme is the shift from long-run work to short- and mid-run jobs, creating more order volume and more front-office complexity. That makes workflow automation, order intake discipline, MIS software training for print production, and prepress automation training essential for reducing errors and protecting margin.

Postal economics receive significant attention, especially the growing uncertainty around postmark reliability, delivery timing, and in-home date expectations. For direct mail, nonprofit fundraising, transactional communications, and regulated mail, printers must rethink service-level agreements and campaign timing. The episode also covers substrate strategy, inkjet cost optimization, sustainability documentation, and extended producer responsibility requirements.

AI and connected automation are discussed as competitive necessities, but with caution. McAbee and McGrew recommend starting with front-end workflow automation before applying AI to mission-critical production processes. They also warn against unmanaged “vibe coding” without security, documentation, regression testing, and maintenance planning.

You Will Learn:

  • Why short-run and mid-run job growth is increasing front-office workflow pressure.
  • How postal disruption affects direct mail timing, postmarks, SLAs, and campaign planning.
  • Why substrate selection, ink usage, and paper merchant input can reduce production costs.
  • How sustainability statements and EPR documentation are becoming essential in RFPs.
  • Where AI and connected automation can improve print business resilience.
  • Five questions to ask when planning the next 90 days of production strategy.

Who This Course is For:

  • Print business owners, operations managers, CSRs, estimators, and production leaders.
  • Commercial, in-plant, transactional, direct mail, wide format, book, label, and fulfillment teams.
  • Companies building printing industry training programs for new employees.
  • Teams seeking outsourced training for print production staff.
  • Managers evaluating printing technician certification online, color management training for new hires, lean manufacturing training printing industry, MIS software training for print production, or prepress automation training including Kodak Prinergy and Esko workflows.

Time to Watch:

  • Approximately 27 minutes.
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