Stationery

Stationery is a group of wide range of materials which includes paper and office supplies, writing implements, greeting cards, glue, pencil cases and other similar items.

Business in stationery industry largely focuses on using paper or paper board to create products that can be used in art work, filing, writing, and other accomplishments. The stationery industry buy’s the necessary materials, such as uncoated paper and paper board from paper/paper board mills and plants, and then proceeds to convert the base paper products into stationery materials like die-cut paper, tablets, office paper, envelopes, or a range of stationery pieces.

Stationery manufacturers purchase supplies such as wood, plastic, and ink to create pencils and pens, art supplies, carbon paper or marking devices. In stationery industry, products are sold to retailers, wholesalers as well as large corporations. The products are sold through these mediators to businesses and personal consumers.

The wholesalers of stationery industry buy paper products in bulk from the manufacturers, mostly in the form of paper rolls to process and distribute to different manufacturers, commercial printers, and publishers for their uses. Stationery wholesalers provide services to the manufactures and other end user, due to which the wholesalers gain the cost on the paper goods that they distribute in order to generate a profit.

Stationery industry is one among all the niche industries. With the introduction of electronic media, there is a vertical competition with the stationery industry since both of them are two different fields of communication. Stationery is associated to paper and the written word and is a personal form of communication. The techniques employed in stationery industry in order to make the overall product specific include embossing, thermographic printing, letterpress printing, and engraving. The stationery market is mostly used for formal event specialized invitations, special occasion programs or office stationery.

As per the new stationary industry market research reports, Europe and the US are the countries that have the largest regional markets for stationery products. 

Stationery Industry Current Trends

According to the reports by Global Industry Analysts, Inc i.e. GIA, global market for stationery products is predicted to reach US$155.4 billion by the year 2015, due to technological advancements, increasing levels of literacy and population.

Major Stationery Industry Players

Some of the major industry players are A. T. Cross Company, American Greetings Corporation, Archies Limited, Aurora DUE s.r.l, Avery Dennison Corporation, AbitibiBowater Inc, Camlin Ltd., Cenveo Inc., Corporate Express Inc., CSS Industries Inc., Dixon Ticonderoga Company, DS Smith Plc, Elmer's Products Inc., Letts Filofax Group Ltd, Hallmark Cards Inc, etc.