The Global Decline of Print Newspapers and Its Impact on Commercial Printing
The Shift to Digital-Only News Publications
Newspapers across the globe are increasingly transitioning from print editions to digital-only formats, a trend that has accelerated in recent years. In the United States, many local papers have dramatically reduced their print frequency or stopped print altogether. For example, The Monitor in McAllen, Texas, stopped printing its Monday and Tuesday editions, continuing to serve readers via a digital e-newspaper on those days. By late 2023, The Monitor and its sister papers Valley Morning Star and Brownsville Herald went even further – cutting print circulation to just two days a week (Wednesdays and Saturdays) and delivering news digitally the rest of the week. This reflects a broader pattern: even longstanding daily newspapers are becoming “semi-weekly” or entirely online to meet changing audience habits. A year earlier, the Odessa American in Texas made a similar move, shifting from a seven-day print schedule to only two print days per week with digital delivery every day. And most recently, New Jersey’s Express-Times in Easton announced it will cease print publication completely by February 2025 and transition to all-digital delivery via its website. That publisher’s parent company confirmed all its newspapers will eventually close their print editions, noting this decision “follows a nationwide trend” of readers preferring online news consumption.
Internationally, the same shift is underway. In Ireland, for instance, the chief executive of Mediahuis (publisher of major papers like the Irish Independent) publicly stated in 2023 that “daily printed newspapers will disappear within the next decade.” Mediahuis has begun preparing to move from a print-plus-digital model to digital-only publishing, a process they anticipate could take up to 10 years. Even iconic newspapers abroad are bracing for an eventual print sunset. Mediahuis’s CEO bluntly admitted that as a news executive he doesn’t think printed papers have a long-term future. In the meantime, publishers are finding interim ways to cut costs – such as sharing printing presses with competitors. (In Ireland, Mediahuis even collaborates with its rival The Irish Times to print papers, an unusual partnership driven by the need to optimize expensive press operations.) In Germany, the venerable Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ) has seen its print circulation fall to half of what it was a decade ago, and that decline is only accelerating. FAZ’s publisher notes that a full 90% of their subscribers are now digital, and candidly says “there’s nothing you can do” to halt the print erosion. These international cases underscore a global pivot: newspapers large and small are increasingly becoming digital-centric enterprises, often reluctantly but decisively.
By the Numbers: Plunging Print Circulation and Ad Revenue
Hard data from the past two years starkly illustrates the decline of print newspapers and the rise of digital alternatives. In the U.S., print circulation has been sinking to record lows. The Pew Research Center found total average daily newspaper circulation (print plus digital) fell to about 20.9 million in 2022, an 8% drop from the previous year. Print-specific numbers are even more telling. By late 2024, no U.S. newspaper was selling over half a million print copies per day – a dramatic change from historical highs. The Wall Street Journal, the nation’s largest by circulation, saw its print sales fall to about 474,000 (down nearly 15% year-on-year), and even The New York Times averaged only around 250,000 print copies (after a 6% annual decline). Across the top 25 U.S. newspapers, print circulation plunged 12.7% in just one year (to Sept 2024), leaving those major papers collectively distributing under 2 million print copies daily. Some metros fared worse – the Los Angeles Times lost 25% of its print subscribers in that year alone. This steady slide continues a long-term trend: industry analysts note weekday print circulation in 2022 was down over 30% compared to five years prior, and hundreds of U.S. newspapers have shut down entirely since the mid-2000s. A recent study highlighted that by the end of 2024 the U.S. will have lost one-third of the newspapers it had in 2005, as the pace of closures accelerated through 2023.
Advertising revenues tell a similarly grim story for print. Newspapers’ business models long relied on hefty print ad sales – but those revenues have cratered. In 2022, total advertising revenue for the U.S. newspaper industry (print and digital combined) was estimated at just $9.8 billion, down slightly (5%) from 2021. For context, that’s a nearly 60% decline in ad dollars compared to a decade earlier, reflecting the mass migration of advertisers to online platforms. Crucially, almost half of newspapers’ ad revenue now comes from digital ads (48% in 2022), which means the remaining print ad revenue is roughly $5 billion – a small (and shrinking) fraction of what print used to earn. Forecasts suggest print advertising will dwindle even further: one analysis projects U.S. print newspaper ad revenue will fall from about $4.0 billion in 2023 to only $2.5 billion by 2028, a steep drop of ~40%. This collapse in print advertising has squeezed newspapers’ profitability and removed a key incentive to keep printing daily editions.
On the other hand, digital audience and subscription growth has been a rare bright spot. As print circulation declines, many newspapers are seeing online readership climb to unprecedented heights. Top national publications have amassed millions of digital-only subscribers – for example, The New York Times now boasts over 10 million digital subscribers as of 2024, with fewer than 700,000 remaining print subscribers. Globally, digital news audiences continue to expand year-over-year, offsetting some of the print losses. Germany’s FAZ, as noted, derives the bulk of its paying readership online (90% digital subscribers), and The Guardian, New York Times, and others report record web traffic and digital subscription revenues in recent years. Even at smaller scales, when papers cut print days, their digital usage jumps. In Texas, after The Monitor eliminated its Monday-Tuesday print editions, the readership of its e-edition on those days surged by roughly 50% on average. The publisher noted their news website was drawing about 1 million monthly users, far beyond the reach of their shrinking print distribution. These figures reinforce that readers haven’t vanished – they’ve just moved online. The challenge for publishers is monetizing that digital audience as effectively as the old print product. Nonetheless, growing digital subscription bases and online engagement signal that the public still demands news; it’s the paper format they’re abandoning.
Why Are Newspapers Going Digital-Only? Key Drivers of the Shift
Several powerful forces are pushing newspapers away from print and toward digital-only publishing. Economic pressures top the list. Printing and distributing a daily newspaper has become an increasingly costly endeavor at a time when returns are diminishing. Many publishers conclude that it “made economic sense” to keep printing only as long as print readership and ads justified it, but now “declining demand and rising costs” have rendered daily print unsustainable. Newsprint paper, presses, ink, physical delivery – these expenses add up. As advertising revenue falls and subscribers migrate to digital, maintaining a large print operation (and the staff and infrastructure to support it) is often no longer viable. For many papers, cutting back print days or eliminating print entirely is a necessary cost-saving measure to stay solvent. “The ability to meet the mission of a 100-year-old newspaper is directly related to focusing limited resources on digital products for the next 100 years,” explained one regional publisher as they scaled down print frequency. In other words, redirecting investments into digital platforms can help ensure the news organization survives, whereas clinging to an expensive print schedule might hasten its demise.
Another major factor is reader behavior. Audiences have fundamentally changed how they consume news. Today’s readers overwhelmingly prefer the immediacy and convenience of digital news accessed via smartphones, tablets, and computers. In the U.S., about 66% of Americans now access newspaper content on a smartphone, and younger generations in particular have grown up getting their news through screens (often via social media and news apps). The managing president of NJ Advance Media, which is phasing out all its print newspapers, put it plainly: “People...have made clear their preference for news delivered in digital forms.” Even though a “shrinking but still significant” cohort of older readers cherishes the traditional printed paper, the overall trend is that each year fewer people rely on the physical newspaper, especially on weekdays. This shift in consumer behavior means print circulation drops further, creating a cycle that justifies more cuts. Publishers see the writing on the wall: if the audience is online, they must follow. One Texas newspaper executive likened it to the old days of placing newsstands where people gathered; now “mobile devices are the largest source of readership” and the strategy is to meet readers where they are – on digital channels.
Technological advantages of digital publishing also play a role. Online platforms allow breaking news to be published instantly, stories to be updated in real-time, and multimedia content (videos, interactive graphics) to enhance storytelling – none of which a static print page can do. The news cycle has become 24/7, and papers that print only once a day find themselves constantly scooped by digital media. By going digital-only, newspapers can remain competitive with continuous updates and not be constrained by press times. Digital formats also remove the size limit of a print edition; news sites can publish more content, not less. (The Monitor noted its website provides “much more content – every day” even on days it no longer prints.)
Surprisingly, logistical challenges in print distribution are another driver. Many U.S. papers report difficulties finding reliable delivery drivers and the rising cost of fuel and delivery routes, especially in rural areas. One publisher observed that same-day delivery by mail was now more dependable than maintaining a network of newspaper carriers. This hints at a broader issue: the infrastructure for print delivery is eroding, adding headaches and expense. Cutting print frequency reduces these distribution challenges (and some papers that still print are even switching to postal delivery).
Last but not least, environmental considerations provide yet another incentive to reduce print. There is growing awareness of the environmental impact of printing millions of newspapers – from the trees and water used to produce newsprint, to the carbon emissions of printing presses and delivery trucks. Delivering news digitally can significantly shrink the carbon footprint. Studies have shown that receiving news on an electronic device generates far fewer pollutants than printing and transporting a paper copy. A classic analysis by environmental researchers found that an individual reading a daily newspaper for a year was responsible for about 270 kg of CO₂ emissions, whereas getting the same news via a digital device emitted only a fraction of that. By going digital-only, publishers can tout the elimination of tons of paper waste and reduced energy usage in printing, aligning with sustainability goals. Many readers (and advertisers) today appreciate eco-friendly business practices, so the green benefits of digital-only operations serve as a positive side effect (even if financial necessity is the primary cause).
In summary, the shift to digital is driven by a convergence of factors: economics (lower revenue, higher costs), consumer habits (demand for instant, online news), technology (advantages of digital media), logistics (distribution woes), and even environmental responsibility. These forces together have reached a tipping point whereby for many newspapers, continuing business-as-usual in print is simply untenable. As one industry CEO remarked, the question of whether printed newspapers have a future is being answered by the market itself – and the answer increasingly appears to be “No, not for long.”
Fallout for the Commercial Printing Industry
The decline of newspaper printing reverberates beyond the newsrooms – it is significantly impacting the commercial printing industry that once supported newspaper production. Commercial printers, press manufacturers, paper mills, and related suppliers are all feeling the squeeze from shrinking print volumes. One immediate effect is the loss or reduction of large printing contracts. Many newspapers traditionally outsourced their printing to regional print service providers or maintained printing plants that also handled jobs for other clients. As papers cut back on print days or shut presses entirely, those steady jobs disappear. Printing plants are consolidating or closing as a result. For instance, if three daily papers in a region drop to weekly print, one centralized plant can handle all their printing needs, leaving other presses idle. This means fewer shifts for press operators and less demand for maintenance, ink, plates, and other consumables tied to newspaper printing. Equipment suppliers are likewise seeing a decline in the market for high-speed newspaper presses – very few publishers are investing in new press lines today, and many are selling off or scrapping older presses. “Many printing companies...have heavily invested in expensive printing machines that are now either underused or idle,” notes Sudeep Bhattacharjee of press maker Manroland. Those idle presses are a clear signal of a sector in contraction.
One major indicator is newsprint paper consumption, which has plummeted alongside circulation declines. In the United States, consumption of newsprint (the paper stock for newspapers) has fallen for eleven consecutive years, dropping to just 923,000 tons in 2024. To put that in perspective, a decade earlier in 2013 the U.S. used about 3.8 million tons of newsprint – so the volume has collapsed to roughly one-quarter of what it was. This dramatic decline in demand has forced paper mills to shutter or switch to other products. (Some mills that once churned out newsprint have converted to making packaging board or toilet tissue, for example.) The market value of newsprint in the U.S. also fell to about $1.2 billion in 2024 (down 8% from the prior year), reflecting the diminished role of newsprint in the overall paper industry. Globally, paper industry reports note that printing and writing papers are in secular decline, with newspapers and magazines hit the hardest as readers go online.
For commercial printing companies, fewer newspapers in print means fewer press runs and less revenue from that segment. In decades past, a metro newspaper contract was a lucrative anchor for many commercial printers or newspaper companies’ own print divisions. Now, those printers must either downsize or fill the void with other work. The overall printing industry has been contracting partly due to these trends – between 2018 and 2022, the number of printing establishments worldwide fell by about 12% and employment in the printing sector dropped ~15%. Analysts attribute this to the decline of publishing print (newspapers, magazines, etc.) combined with automation and the pandemic’s impact. In short, the erosion of newspaper printing is a key contributor to the broader challenges facing the print industry. Press manufacturers have fewer orders for new presses, and in fact, some are repurposing their engineering toward packaging or digital press equipment instead of traditional offset newspaper presses.
Commercial printers also see an effect on related services: fewer printed papers means less business for insertion of flyers, less demand for transportation of print bundles, and even declining need for ink and plate material suppliers who served big newspaper clients. Printing industry suppliers are adapting by focusing on sectors that are still growing (like packaging, signage, and textile printing) rather than betting on newspapers. The outlook for heavy newsprint use is so bleak that even press maintenance and support businesses have consolidated. We’re entering an era where printing presses built in the 1990s or 2000s might simply run until they wear out, with no replacement, because the print volume doesn’t justify new capital expenditure. Some newspaper companies have sold off their printing presses and real estate entirely – for example, The Monitor in Texas even sold its main building as it shifted strategies, and many metro papers have outsourced printing to third parties to avoid owning the fixed assets.
Yet it’s not all doom and gloom. This industry disruption also opens opportunities for commercial printers to pivot and reinvent themselves, which many are actively doing.
Pivoting Strategies: How Printers Are Adapting and Finding New Revenue
To survive the ongoing decline of newspaper printing, commercial printers and equipment providers are embracing new strategies and markets. Diversification is crucial – printers are transforming their businesses to serve different printing needs that are more in demand today. Here are some of the key pivots and opportunities:
Packaging Printing: One of the biggest growth areas for the print industry is packaging – everything from corrugated shipping boxes and product cartons to labels and flexible packaging. Unlike newspapers, packaging is a segment increasing in the digital age (thanks to e-commerce and global trade). Many newspaper press operators and press manufacturers are now eyeing packaging as a natural fit. They can leverage existing press equipment (with some modifications) or floor space to print packaging materials. “Why not tap into the packaging industry?” asks Bhattacharjee of Manroland Goss, noting that newspapers already have design and prepress expertise that can carry over. Packaging printing often uses similar presses (large format, high-speed) but prints on thicker substrates. Commercial printers making this shift find that the packaging market is booming – a $1.2 trillion global market growing steadily at ~3% annually. While moving into packaging isn’t trivial (it requires new skills in substrates, die-cutting, etc.), many printing companies are investing in this arena to replace lost newspaper volume. Food packaging, labels, and delivery boxes are all printed products that are seeing robust demand, providing a lifeline for printers who can retool accordingly.
Marketing and Direct Mail: With fewer businesses buying newspaper ads, some of that marketing spend has shifted into direct mail advertising and promotional printing. Commercial printers are well positioned to capitalize on this, offering targeted direct mail services, catalogs, brochures, and flyers for advertisers who still value tangible media to reach customers. In fact, some advertisers find direct mail a good replacement for newspaper inserts or print ads, as it can reach homes directly. Printers have reported upticks in short-run, customized marketing print jobs – for example, producing a series of personalized mailers or regional catalogs, which can be done on digital presses efficiently. By expanding into marketing services, printers can bundle design, printing, and even mailing logistics, making themselves indispensable to local businesses in lieu of the local newspaper ad department. This kind of work keeps presses running and uses many of the same skill sets (graphic design, layout, printing) that newspaper production did.
Specialty Publications & Niche Print Runs: While daily general newspapers are vanishing, there is growth in niche and short-run publications. Commercial printers are picking up contracts for things like community newsletters, hyper-local weeklies, school and university publications, or specialty magazines that still prefer print for their audiences. These might be quarterly or monthly publications for specific industries, alumni groups, or interest clubs. Short-run book printing is another area – for instance, printing on-demand paperback books or self-published works. Some newspaper press facilities have converted part of their operation to print paperback books in small batches (known as short-run or “ultrashort-run” printing). This leverages similar equipment and keeps volume flowing. Moreover, some newspapers that went all-digital still print an occasional “souvenir” edition or annual review magazine, which they outsource to commercial printers. All these specialized print jobs, while not replacing the sheer volume of daily newspapers of old, provide high-margin work that printers can use to supplement their revenue.
Digital Content and Multimedia Services: Interestingly, a few forward-thinking print companies are reinventing themselves not just in what they print, but in the services they offer. Some commercial printing firms are evolving into full-service marketing and content agencies, offering web design, digital publishing, and content management to their clients. For example, a printer that used to publish a local paper might now help that news outlet manage its e-edition production or website layout. Others are assisting businesses with cross-media campaigns – handling both the print collateral (flyers, banners, mailers) and the digital assets (email newsletters, social media graphics). By expanding into digital content services, printing companies can capture budget that previously might have gone solely to creative agencies. This not only compensates for reduced print volume but also tightens the relationship with clients who now see the printer as a one-stop solution for communication needs. In some cases, former newspaper press employees (editors, layout artists) have joined or started such ventures, repurposing their skills in the digital realm.
Printing Technology Upgrades: On the equipment side, manufacturers are pushing innovations that allow traditional printers to do more with less. Digital printing technology (inkjet and laser) enables economical printing of very short runs, personalization, and quick turnaround – features that appeal to modern clients. Many commercial printers are investing in digital presses (or hybrid presses) to handle the smaller but more varied jobs replacing the big daily newsprint runs. This means a printer can print 10,000 personalized mail pieces in the morning, then 500 copies of a niche magazine in the afternoon, with minimal setup downtime. Such flexibility is essential in the post-newspaper age. Additionally, automation is helping printers cut labor costs and improve efficiency, offsetting the lost economies of scale from high-volume newspaper printing. Automated workflows, robotic palletizers, and AI-driven print optimization are being adopted to keep printing profitable at lower volumes.
The Express-Times headquarters in Easton, PA, prominently displaying its website name (lehighvalleylive.com). This local newspaper’s decision to end its print edition and go all-digital in 2025 exemplifies how printers and publishers must pivot in the digital age.
Crucially, the mindset is shifting among printers and publishers. Instead of seeing themselves purely as “newspaper printers,” companies now embrace a broader identity as information distributors or commercial print service providers. This more holistic approach opens the door to new business models. Some newspaper printing operations have started taking on external commercial print clients (if they haven’t closed entirely) – for instance, printing retail catalogs, election ballots, or community directories during the days they no longer print news. By utilizing spare press capacity in creative ways, they generate new income streams. A few have turned print facilities into logistics hubs or mail sorting centers to complement their print-mail offerings.
We also see collaboration and consolidation as strategies. Competing print companies might merge or partner to achieve scale in new markets (just as newspapers share presses, printers share resources). For example, newspaper groups in Europe have formed alliances to print each other’s titles on a single press, then collectively venture into new printing markets together. This kind of cooperation might become more common globally, as the industry recognizes that hanging on to under-utilized presses in silos benefits no one.
In essence, commercial printers are not standing still in the face of newspaper decline – they are innovating and adapting. Those who successfully pivot to growing segments like packaging or reinvent their services for the digital era are finding that there is life after newspapers. It may not replace all the volume of yesteryear, but it can sustain healthy businesses. As one printing executive urged, idle presses and empty print rooms should be seen as “a clear signal that it’s time to explore new opportunities”. The companies taking that advice are transforming challenges into new chapters of growth.
Looking Ahead: A Transformed Print Landscape
The rapid decline of print newspapers is reshaping both the news media and the commercial printing landscape in profound ways. We are likely witnessing the final decade of many daily print editions – an extraordinary change after nearly two centuries of newspapers rolling off presses daily around the world. By 2030, it’s conceivable that only a handful of print newspapers (perhaps weekly or monthly special editions) will remain, supported by a loyal but niche readership. Publishers are consciously planning for that future: as noted, some have already publicly set timelines for exiting print. The focus in news is now firmly on digital products – from websites and mobile apps to newsletters and podcasts.
For the commercial printing industry, this means a continued pivot or perish scenario. Printing companies will further align themselves with sectors that are print-reliant and growing (packaging, signage, 3D printing, etc.), and less with traditional publication printing. In fact, the very definition of “commercial printing” is broadening to include integrated marketing, digital fulfillment, and creative services, not just putting ink on paper. Equipment providers too are diversifying their offerings, ensuring that a decline in one print segment (like newspapers) can be offset by demand in another.
There may also be some unexpected opportunities in the remnants of print newspapers. For instance, as daily print editions disappear, there could be a nostalgic or premium market for limited-run print products – perhaps high-quality weekly news journals or “collector’s edition” prints of big news events. Some optimists even talk of a “print revival” in niche forms, where print becomes a novelty or luxury item. We see hints of this in the success of quarterly news magazines or the way some digital-native outlets occasionally produce a print issue as a special artifact. Commercial printers might tap into this by offering boutique printing services for content creators or communities that want to experience print in a curated way (much like vinyl records rebounded in music). While this will remain a small slice, it underscores that print will not vanish entirely; it will simply play a different, more specialized role.
From the perspective of commercial printers, print equipment providers, and industry observers, the message is clear: adaptability is key. The decline of newspaper printing, once a pillar of the industry, is certainly a challenge – it means letting go of long-running business lines and facing tough downsizing decisions. But it is also driving a renaissance of creativity in print services. Printers are learning to be consultants and problem-solvers for their clients’ communication needs, whether those needs are met via paper or pixels. The companies that thrive will be those that understand the evolving landscape – recognizing which print applications are fading and which are emerging – and who invest accordingly.
In conclusion, the global move from print newspapers to digital-only news is an emblematic shift of the digital age, with wide-ranging impacts. It is shrinking the demand for traditional printing in one domain, yet simultaneously forcing the printing industry to reinvent itself and find growth in others. As newspapers themselves often preach, change is inevitable. The print industry’s ongoing evolution in response to that change demonstrates its resilience. Commercial printers are turning the page on the newspaper era and writing a new chapter focused on diversification, innovation, and service. Just as newspapers seek relevance in a digital world, printers are finding ways to remain indispensable – even if the daily broadsheet is no longer their bread and butter. The presses may be quieter each morning, but they are far from obsolete. By pivoting wisely, the print industry can continue to prosper, even as the era of daily newsprint gradually comes to an end.
Sources: Recent industry reports, news articles, and expert commentary have informed this analysis, including data from the Pew Research Center on U.S. newspaper circulation and finances, audits of top newspapers’ print declines, and forecasts of advertising and newsprint trends. Real-world cases like The Monitor (TX) and Express-Times (PA) illustrate the shift to digital-only publishing, while statements from industry figures – such as Mediahuis’s CEO on the future of print and Advance Media’s president on economics – shed light on the rationale behind these decisions. The response from the printing sector, as discussed by Manroland’s director and in WAN-IFRA forums, showcases how printers are adapting by exploring packaging and other markets. Environmental impacts of print vs. digital were referenced from scientific analyses. All told, the evidence paints a clear picture of an accelerating trend: print newspapers are on the decline globally, and the commercial printing industry is evolving in response – finding new ways to thrive in a world where the news is increasingly read on a screen rather than on paper.