Printing

A reputation for good printing quality, quick and reliable delivery, and
competitive prices continues to boost the international status of Hong
Kong's printing industry. Hong Kong is a leading centre for printing and
publishing, with 4 873 printing establishments employing 45 844 people,
and more than 200 publishing houses, including many from overseas
which have set up offices or regional headquarters in Hong Kong.

The industry constitutes 18.5 per cent of all manufacturing establishments
and 14.8 per cent of employment in the manufacturing sector. Most of
the printing factories (68.7 per cent) are engaged in general jobbing work,
and most of the remainder deal with related work, such as typesetting and
book-binding. There are also 31 newspaper printers.

Hong Kong printers are investing substantially in advanced machinery and
equipment and are shifting in recent years the labour-intensive production
processes to the Mainland of China. The use of state-of-the-art
equipment, especially those employing digital technology, has enabled the
industry to raise quality and productivity to new levels. Some of the more
sophisticated printing companies and publishers have already started using
such equipment as digital colour pre-press and printing systems.

Domestic exports of printed matter decreased in value terms by
0.4 per cent over the previous year. Material printed locally with a total
value of $4.8 billion was exported, with the USA, the Mainland of China,
the UK, Taiwan and Australia being the major export markets. Books,
pamphlets, newspapers, journals and periodicals accounted for
68 per cent of exports of printed products. Overall, the printing and
publishing industries contributed 9 per cent of the manufacturing sector's
gross output.

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