Overall the ISM said economic activity in US manufacturing in March expanded for the 20th straight month.
The report's author, Norbert Ore, chair of the Institute for Supply Management Manufacturing Business Survey committee, told PrintWeek: "The printing industry has been in a depression for about five years and so the fact that it's showing growth is very positive."
The report notes production, new orders and employment all rose for the US printing industry for the month, but Ore cautioned the sector is still facing headwinds going forward.
"Given what we know about e-books and e-everything and the green movement, the printing industry is not going to enjoy the growth it once did in the past," he added.
The US economic recovery also seems to be having a positive effect on the traditional magazine business as the Publishers Information Bureau (PIB) reported both ad revenues and ad pages were up for the first quarter of 2011.
Print ads during the three-month period rose 2.5% to 35,755 pages, led by double digit year-over-year increases in luxury goods and personal technology advertising, marking the fourth consecutive quarter of growth.
