Capacity down from 78%

The Book Manufacturers’ Institute (BMI) released the March results for its monthly survey. Offset printing, hard cover manufacturers are running at 66% of their capacity, which is 10% less than last month. Lead times are slightly down from 40 days to 37. The average soft cover offset capacity usage is down to 78% from 82%.

Lead times down

Offset soft cover lead time is up from 27 days to 35 days, reversing a trend of dropping times. Digital printing, the average hard cover capacity rose to 65%, up from 59%. Lead time for digital hard cover books dropped from 21 days to 17 days. Digital soft cover books are running at 67% capacity and 15 days lead time.Respondents only answered the questions that were pertinent to their particular printing and finishing capabilities.