According to WhatTheyThink.com, Leesburg, Ga., USA, a printing industry blog by Dr. Joe Webb, a consultant for the graphics arts industry as well as a forecaster and commentator, the last two months indicating positive comparisons in printing shipments with 2013 do not matter. August shipments were down $192 million or 2.9% in inflation-adjusted basis compared with last year.

For the past 12 months combined, shipments are down -4.4% after adjusting for inflation. Overall, they are predicted to end the year somewhere above $76 billion. Shipments for 2013 were nearly $78 billion in prices not adjusted for inflation.

Data was provided for Dr. Webb’s blog by the U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Wash. D.C.,