The printing industry is one of the largest manufacturing industries in the UK – with The Printing House, Crewe being the among largest in the North West.

The value of sales by companies within the UK printing industry is around £14.6 billion.

The UK printing industry utilises around 153,000 employees in about 11,000 companies. 75% of these companies employ less than 10 people.

Printing makes a positive contribution to the UK trade balance. In 2002 the contribution was £438 million, improving to £609 million in 2003 and £619 million in 2004. However, this fell back slightly to £543 million in 2005 and £429 million in 2006.

Nearly every town in the UK has a printing company although the south east of England and London having the greater concentration.The Printing House, Crewe is one of the largest print and design companies in the north west of England.

The UK printing industry has widely been used as a barometer for the well being of the economy as demand for printed products is directly driven by the level of economic activity particularly within the retail sector.