4 Print Stories That Show an Industry in Transition.

The global print industry is delivering four very different messages this week, from declining traditional print volumes to new opportunities for digital production and office equipment dealers. German printing group Euro-Druckservice (EDS) is closing its Romanian web-offset plant as falling demand and rising production costs put increasing pressure on high-volume catalogs, brochures and other traditional print products, while Konica Minolta is taking the opposite approach by teaming up with comic-book artist Greg Horn at The Print Show to demonstrate how creative, high-quality digital printing can attract new audiences and applications. Meanwhile, UK businesses are increasingly choosing to lease printers and photocopiers rather than buy equipment outright, creating fresh opportunities for dealers and managed print providers as companies prioritize predictable monthly costs and technology upgrades. In India, a textbook shortage in Karnataka has left students relying on Xerox copies two months into the academic year, proving that despite constant predictions about the death of print, paper remains essential when physical educational materials are unavailable. From plant closures and rising costs to digital innovation, printer leasing and emergency photocopying, these stories show a print industry that is shrinking in some areas, evolving in others, and still impossible to replace when people urgently need information on paper.