Printing Costs Outpace Inflation, Up 41.6% Since 2019
Businesses that buy printed materials face higher supplier prices, while printers absorb a 21.0% drop in sector employment.
Updated on Nov. 3, 2026 in Inflation
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Commercial printing producer prices rose 41.6% between September 2019 and September 2026, while U.S. consumer prices rose 31.2% over the same period, according to an analysis of Bureau of Labor Statistics data. Printers and buyers of printed goods across the United States face a sharper cost environment than general inflation alone would suggest.
Why it matters
The gap between printing producer prices and consumer prices indicates that input and production costs in the printing trade have outpaced the broader economy over the seven-year window. For businesses that buy printed materials or run print operations, that differential bears directly on procurement budgets and pricing decisions.
Printing sector employment fell from 424,800 jobs in September 2019 to 335,800 in September 2026, a decline of 21.0%. Digital printing producer prices rose 62.2% and flexographic printing rose 59.2% over the same period, while lithographic printing rose 30.5%.
The players
Bureau of Labor Statistics
The federal statistical agency whose producer price and employment series are the basis for the analysis, and whose data are widely used by businesses to benchmark input costs.
WeddingTemplates
A Sheridan, Wyoming-based company that published the analysis of printing price and employment trends.
The details
The producer price index for the primary products of commercial printing, excluding screen and book printing, climbed 9.2% in 2021 and 14.8% in 2022 before slowing to 2.8% over the 12 months ending September 2026. Paper input costs added pressure, with the paper producer price index rising 10.2% between December 2025 and September 2026. Adjusted for inflation, commercial printing prices still rose 7.9% since 2019.
Timeline
September 2019: baseline month for the seven-year comparisons
2021: commercial printing producer prices rose 9.2%
2022: commercial printing producer prices rose 14.8%
September 2026: endpoint of the seven-year comparisons and 12-month price changes
November 3, 2026: WeddingTemplates published the analysis
Market Landscape
Printing producer prices are tracked through a dedicated Bureau of Labor Statistics series, which lets analysts separate printing-specific cost movements from broader inflation. The divergence between printing and consumer prices over 2019 to 2026 places the trade's cost history within the wider inflation trend measured by the same agency.
Operators who buy printed materials should review procurement budgets against the 41.6% producer price rise in commercial printing since 2019. Printing shops should track paper cost increases, which rose 10.2% from December 2025 to September 2026, when setting quotes and pricing.
The takeaway
Printing costs have outpaced the broader economy, so businesses that depend on print should reconcile their supplier pricing against the Bureau of Labor Statistics commercial printing series. Track paper and input cost movements in the next quarterly price data before locking in multi-year print contracts.
Further reading
For broader context on how price pressures move through individual sectors, see the Inflation coverage.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Timmins Daily Press.
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