Industry Observations:  There has been a declining preference for using or receiving printed materials in lieu of alternative mediums such as the internet. In some areas, the printed word is proving slow to produce and costly to distribute. All the while, new media encroaches. The global commercial printing industry is one of the world’s largest manufacturing industries. However, the industry is stagnating. In 2013, it is expected to generate revenue of approximately $434 billion (unchanged in real terms compared with 2012). Global commercial printing industry revenue is expected to decrease an annualized 0.5% in the five years through 2013.