The ONS class for "other printing" covers most commercial printing: brochures, stationery, packaging, labels, large-format and much sign printing. (Newspaper printing is counted separately.) In 2024 it covered 7,601 businesses with turnover of £8.8bn.
| 2024 | Commercial printing |
|---|---|
| Businesses (VAT or PAYE registered) | 7,601 |
| Total turnover | £8.8bn |
| Average turnover per business | £1,157,000 |
| Staff costs, % of turnover | 24.8% |
| Bought-in goods and services, % of turnover | 56.2% |
| Left after staff and bought-in costs, % of turnover | 19.0% |
| Stock held, in days of purchases | 44 days |
Source: ONS Annual Business Survey, 2024 results (published 26 May 2026). It covers businesses registered for VAT or PAYE, so the smallest sole traders are not included. Averages are pulled up by the largest firms. For sole traders and partnerships, the owners’ own pay is not in staff costs: it comes out of what is left.
Commercial printing: turnover fell 7% between 2019 and 2024, against a 24% rise in consumer prices, so it fell behind inflation. The number of businesses fell 13%. Staff costs went from 24.0% to 24.8% of turnover, and what was left after staff and bought-in costs went from 17.0% to 19.0%.
Printing is one of the few trades in these guides where turnover was lower in 2024 than in 2019 even before allowing for inflation, and there are fewer businesses than before.
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