Results are in from the Specialty Graphic Imaging Association’s (SGIA) annual Business Growth Survey. Marci Kinter, SGIA’s vice president of government and business information, says about two-thirds of those who answered the 2007 Business Growth Plan survey have purchased or expect to purchase graphic-imaging equipment in the coming year and one-third have purchased or plan to purchase garment-decorating equipment. This year’s survey also revealed that 38% plan to buy a flatbed UV inkjet printer.
In a summary of a Substrates and Specialties Survey, dated December 2006, digital imagers make it known that they choose paper more than twice as much as screen printers do. When it comes to pressure-sensitive vinyl, 25% of screen printers say it’s their substrate of choice; 39% of digital imagers say the same.
What were the most sought after substrates in screen printing? T-shirts and tank tops by nearly 28%, followed by polycarbonate at 25%, and polyester at 25%. On the digital side, flexible vinyl follows at 31% behind pressure-sensitive vinyl, and paper (up to 12-pt stock) rounds out the top three at 26%. For more information about SGIA’s Business Growth Survey, contact SGIA, 10015 Main St., Fairfax, VA 22031, 703-385-1335, fax: 703-273-0456, Web: www.sgia.org.