The Commercial Printing Industry

The commercial printing industry is one of the most economically important and technologically advanced industrial sectors in Canada.



Not a single day goes by without the average person coming into contact with printed matter -from food labels, books, newspapers, magazines, catalogues, telephone directories, diaries and annual reports to bonds, currency, stamps, credit cards, passports, leaflets, diplomas and posters, just to name a few.



Canada's printing industry is the fourth largest manufacturing employer in the nation with more than 70,500 employees, who work in 7653 establishments from St. John's to Victoria. In 2008 these employees produced over $10.5 billion worth of shipments, $1.432 billion of which was in export sales. With a gross output multiplier of 1.65, the industry will generate an additional $8 billion in other sectors of the Canadian economy.

The regional distribution of the industry's output is as follows:



* British Columbia 7.9 %
* Alberta 8.4 %
* Saskatchewan 1.2 %
* Manitoba 5.5 %
* Ontario 49.5 %
* Quebec 25.9 %

*courtesy of the CPIA website