In 2014 the South American giant will hold the World Cup and then two years later the Olympic Games. The high profile nature of the events will place the country, which boasts one of the world’s fastest growing economies, firmly on the map. The events also present boundless opportunities for printers and suppliers of printing equipment to the region.

 

Brazil has already witnessed the start of a printing boom with the number of printing companies in Brazil rising rapidly over the last few years – 2,000 new printing companies were established between 2006 and 2009 alone, according to research conducted by the Brazilian graphic arts association ABIGRAF. The same research highlights that 45% of printers have screen printing equipment that's 6-10-years-old with almost 14% of screen printing kit more than 10-years-old. These figures suggest that there is plenty of scope for print equipment manufacturers to cash in. Especially as the use of screen printing is already growing rapidly. ABIGRAF says that in 2006 263 new screen printing machines were bought, which rose to 307 in 2007 and 953 in 2008, the last year for which numbers are available.

 

But it's not just screen printing that's benefiting from the Brazilian economic boom. There are also appetising opportunities in the digital space. Recent research published by InfoTrends shows that digital camera and mobile phone users in Brazil take more than twice as many photos every three months as Americans, with nearly three quarters of Brazilian consumers who take photos purchasing photo merchandising, ranging from photo books through to posters, in the past year. The trend is reflected in feedback from printers in Latin America, with more than 40% of companies surveyed stating that the shift to digital is one of their business priorities, with Brazilian companies leading the way.

 

The figures suggest that regardless of how well Brazil's finest sporting specimens perform in their respective events, the county's printing industry looks well placed to triumph.