Report Coverage
This report provides a comprehensive overview of South Africa’s printing and publishing sector, covering books, newspapers, magazines, and journals in both print and digital formats. It highlights key developments, trends, and challenges across the value chain, with a particular focus on industry performance and the factors shaping it, including declining print circulation and the growing adoption of artificial intelligence in publishing and printing. The report also examines the disruptive impact of digital platforms, social media, podcasts, and influencers on audience engagement and revenue models. More than 100 companies are profiled, including Media24, Arena Holdings, Caxton & CTP Publishers and Printers, Novus Holdings, Independent Newspapers, Broad Media, Maroela Media, Penguin Random House South Africa, Jacana Media, and Lebone Litho Printers.
Introduction
• South Africa’s printing and publishing sector remains under sustained pressure despite pockets of growth. According to Stats SA, total printing and publishing sales revenue declined by 2.7% to R53.2bn in 2025, down from R54.7bn in 2024.
• Circulation data from the Audit Bureau of Circulations show that total print newspaper and magazine circulation rose 2.3% year-on-year in the first quarter of 2026 to 8.4 million copies, marking a fourth consecutive annual increase.
• Custom magazines grew by nearly 20% year-on-year, contributing to an overall increase in magazine circulation of 8.1%, while free newspapers helped limit the overall decline in print newspaper circulation to 1.3%. These figures reflect a mixed performance, with niche media publishing segments showing resilience.
• The printing industry faces declining demand for traditional print formats, but growth in printed packaging, labels, and digital/on demand services is offsetting losses, with a notable shift towards smaller, faster, and more targeted print runs.
• Artificial intelligence (AI) is playing an increasingly prominent role in the printing and publishing industry, improving efficiency across editing, layout, production, and printing, but also introducing significant risks.
Trends
• A small number of large publishers continue to dominate revenues and production, while small and micro publishers contribute niche fiction and specialised works.
• Afrikaans books continue to perform strongly, particularly in digital formats, outpacing English in revenue growth.
• Audio and video podcasting are becoming mainstream channels for news and entertainment consumption.
• Automation and AI are reshaping production, improving efficiency.
• Clients increasingly demand smaller, customised batches with faster turnaround times.
• Commercial printing volumes (newspapers, magazines and books) are declining, but output has been partly offset by growth in the packaging and labelling segment, which continues to be sustained by e-commerce.
• Digital advertising revenues are rising, but not enough to offset the steep losses in print advertising.
• Digital book sales are increasing, but at a slower pace than global markets.
• Domestic book publishing remains under pressure, reflecting subdued demand, digital disruption (particularly in the academic and private education segments), and cost pressures.
• Employment has fallen sharply over the past two decades, reflecting global substitution by digital media, rising imports, and automation.
• English remains South Africa’s dominant publishing language, but its share is declining as titles in African languages steadily increase.
• Large publishers continue to focus mainly on educational textbooks, which remain the backbone of the industry.
• Local paper consumption has fallen, mirroring reduced print demand.
• Print media circulation continues to decline, while digital media audiences are expanding.
• Printing companies are increasingly adopting waste-reduction and recycling practices and using sustainably sourced paper and inks that are more environmentally friendly.
• Rising concern over misinformation, disinformation, and fake news as unverified content and influencer driven narratives proliferate.
• Self-publishing is expanding, and a growing number of publishers are offering fee-based self-publishing services to authors and organisations.
• Traditional media’s digital news websites are facing increased competition from social media news platforms such as TikTok, YouTube and other channels.
Opportunities
• Community newspapers in smaller towns and neighbourhoods.
• Digital printing services allow SMEs to expand into personalised products such as photobooks, merchandise, and stationery, often supported by online ordering platforms.
• In the printing sector, small businesses can offer print on demand services.
• Online news sites that cater to niche audiences.
• Opportunities exist in packaging and promotional printing, where demand for branded materials and signage is growing.
• Partnering with influencers and creators.
• Podcasts and video podcasts (vodcasts)
• Promoting a culture of reading in South Africa.
• Promoting and publishing indigenous-language publications.
• Self-publishing platforms.
• SMEs can build businesses around short run, customised printing services for schools, NGOs, and small enterprises.
• The use of AI to streamline printing and publishing services.
Challenges
• Automation and consolidation are reducing employment opportunities, while new skills in digital oversight and compliance are in short supply.
• Book publishers have limited retail reach outside major urban centres, with some players relying on school textbook contracts.
• Digital book revenue, though growing, remains marginal.
• Digital piracy and copyright infringement.
• English remains the dominant publishing language, with African languages under-represented despite growing demand.
• Growth in online advertising has not offset print losses, leaving publishers with shrinking revenue bases.
• Newspaper and magazine circulation continues to decline, eroding advertising revenues and undermining traditional business models. Most local media publishers have failed to implement effective paywalls.
• Retail trade book volumes remain well below historical highs, reflecting cost pressures and reduced demand.
• Rising concerns about disinformation, misinformation, and unverified content are eroding public trust and putting pressure on credible journalism.
• Rising input costs continue to squeeze printing industry margins.
• Slow economic growth constrains demand for printing and publishing.
• South Africa has a relatively weak culture of recreational reading, particularly in rural areas, where literacy rates are lower and access to affordable books and public libraries is limited.
• The share of books published in indigenous African languages is rising, but remains very low.
• Traditional news media publishers are contracting, with retrenchments, closures, and newsroom downsizing eroding capacity and undermining journalistic quality.
• Traditional news websites are losing audience share to social media platforms, which dominate distribution and monetisation.
Outlook
• The outlook for South Africa’s printing and publishing industry remains mixed.
• Paid print media circulation continues to decline as consumers migrate to digital platforms, a trend compounded by cost of living pressures and weak economic growth. While digital revenue streams are expanding, they have not yet compensated for the steep losses in print, leaving publishers under sustained financial strain.
• Book publishing in South Africa remains challenging, despite pockets of opportunity. General book trade publishers face weak consumer demand, high production costs, and competition from imported titles and digital media.
• Educational publishing remains the backbone of the book publishing industry, providing relatively stable revenue streams.
• Growth prospects lie in digital formats, e books, and audiobooks, as well as in distribution innovations that can lower costs and broaden access. However, digital revenues are not yet sufficient to offset print declines, leaving the sector’s future dependent on policy support, literacy initiatives, and publishers’ ability to diversify and adapt to shifting consumer behaviour.
• In printing, commercial demand has softened, but growth in packaging and labelling, driven by rising e commerce activity and demand from the FMCG sector, has partly offset losses in commercial print.
• Printing SA forecasts average revenue growth of 1.9% per year between 2026 and 2030, largely price driven, while print volumes are expected to contract by 1.1% to 3.9% annually.
The Printing and Publishing Sector in South Africa
2026
Full Report
R 20 000.00(ZAR) estimated $1207.30 (USD)*
Industry Landscape
R 14 000.00(ZAR) estimated $ 845.11 (USD)*
Table of Contents
[ Close ]| PAGE | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1. | INTRODUCTION | 1 |
| 2. | DESCRIPTION OF THE INDUSTRY | 1 |
| 2.1. | Industry Value Chain | 7 |
| 2.2. | Geographic Position | 10 |
| 2.3. | Size of the Industry | 11 |
| 3. | LOCAL | 21 |
| 3.1. | State of the Industry | 21 |
| 3.2. | Key Trends | 32 |
| 3.3. | Key Issues | 33 |
| 3.4. | Notable Players | 35 |
| 3.5. | Trade | 39 |
| 3.6. | Corporate Actions | 42 |
| 3.7. | Regulations | 44 |
| 3.8. | Enterprise Development and Social Development | 45 |
| 4. | AFRICA | 47 |
| 5. | INTERNATIONAL | 52 |
| 6. | INFLUENCING FACTORS | 57 |
| 6.1. | Unforeseen Events | 57 |
| 6.2. | Economic Environment | 57 |
| 6.3. | Labour | 59 |
| 6.4. | Environmental Issues | 61 |
| 6.5. | Technology, R&D, Innovation | 63 |
| 6.6. | Government Support | 64 |
| 6.7. | Readership | 65 |
| 6.8. | Input Costs | 66 |
| 7. | COMPETITIVE ENVIRONMENT | 67 |
| 7.1. | Competition | 67 |
| 7.2. | Ownership Structure of the Industry | 68 |
| 7.3. | Barriers to Entry | 69 |
| 8. | INDUSTRY SUMMARY | 70 |
| 9. | OUTLOOK | 72 |
| 10. | INDUSTRY ASSOCIATIONS | 73 |
| 11. | REFERENCES | 73 |
| 11.1. | Publications | 73 |
| 11.2. | Websites | 75 |
| ANNEXURE 1 – Industry Legislation | 77 | |
| APPENDIX 1 – Book Publishing | 82 | |
| APPENDIX 2 – Print and Digital Media Publishing | 84 | |
| APPENDIX 3 – Printing | 95 | |
| COMPANY PROFILES – Book Publishing | 100 | |
| BOOK DASH | 100 | |
| JACANA MEDIA (PTY) LTD | 102 | |
| KARAVAN PRESS (PTY) LTD | 104 | |
| MARANG PUBLISHERS (PTY) LTD | 105 | |
| MEDIA24 (PTY) LTD | 106 | |
| MODJAJI BOOKS (PTY) LTD | 113 | |
| NOVUS HOLDINGS LTD | 114 | |
| OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS SOUTHERN AFRICA (PTY) LTD | 118 | |
| PAN MACMILLAN SOUTH AFRICA (PTY) LTD | 120 | |
| PENGUIN RANDOM HOUSE SOUTH AFRICA (PTY) LTD | 122 | |
| SHUTER AND SHOOTER PUBLISHERS (PTY) LTD | 124 | |
| COMPANY PROFILES – Print and Digital Media Publishing | 126 | |
| A C BRABY (PTY) LTD | 126 | |
| AFRICAN MEDIA ENTERTAINMENT LTD | 128 | |
| AMABHUNGANE CENTRE FOR INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM NPC | 132 | |
| ARENA HOLDINGS (PTY) LTD | 134 | |
| BHEKISISA DEVELOPMENT MEDIA NPC | 137 | |
| BROAD MEDIA (PTY) LTD | 138 | |
| CAXTON AND CTP PUBLISHERS AND PRINTERS LTD | 139 | |
| CONTENT NATION MEDIA (PTY) LTD | 145 | |
| CREAMER MEDIA (PTY) LTD | 147 | |
| CROWN PUBLICATIONS (PTY) LTD | 149 | |
| DAILY MAVERICK (PTY) LTD (THE) | 151 | |
| FARMERS FOR CHANGE (PTY) LTD | 152 | |
| FINANCIAL MAIL GROUP (PTY) LTD (THE) | 153 | |
| GREYMATTER AND FINCH (PTY) LTD | 154 | |
| GROUNDUP NEWS NPC | 156 | |
| HENRY NXUMALO FOUNDATION NPC | 157 | |
| HIGHBURY MEDIA (PTY) LTD | 158 | |
| INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPERS (PTY) LTD | 160 | |
| INTERACT MEDIA DEFINED (PTY) LTD | 162 | |
| IT WEB (PTY) LTD | 164 | |
| KAQALA MEDIA (PTY) LTD | 166 | |
| LEXISNEXIS (PTY) LTD | 168 | |
| M AND G MEDIA (PTY) LTD | 170 | |
| MANDLA-MATLA PUBLISHING (PTY) LTD | 172 | |
| MAROELA MEDIA (PTY) LTD | 174 | |
| MEDIA24 (PTY) LTD | 175 | |
| MEDICAL AND PHARMACEUTICAL PUBLICATIONS (PTY) LTD | 182 | |
| NOVUS HOLDINGS LTD | 184 | |
| NOW MEDIA (PTY) LTD | 188 | |
| OXPECKERS INVESTIGATIVE ENVIRONMENTAL JOURNALISTS NPC | 190 | |
| PANORAMA MEDIA CORPORATION (PTY) LTD | 191 | |
| PUBLISHARED (PTY) LTD | 193 | |
| PUBLISHING PARTNERSHIP (PTY) LTD (THE) | 195 | |
| SECTION27 INCORPORATING THE AIDS LAW PROJECT NPC | 196 | |
| TECHNEWS PUBLISHING (PTY) LTD | 198 | |
| TRANSUNION AFRICA (PTY) LTD | 200 | |
| ZUCORIZON (PTY) LTD | 203 | |
| Company Profiles - Printing | 204 | |
| 180 DEGREE DIGITAL PRINT CC | 204 | |
| ABC PRINTERS (PTY) LTD | 206 | |
| AFRIPACK (PTY) LTD | 208 | |
| ALTSTADT PRINTING CC | 211 | |
| APPLE PRINT AND PACKAGING CC | 212 | |
| ARENA HOLDINGS (PTY) LTD | 213 | |
| ASSOCIATED PRINTING (PTY) LTD | 216 | |
| BEITH DIGITAL (PTY) LTD | 218 | |
| BENCHMARK SIGNAGE (PTY) LTD | 220 | |
| BIDVEST PAPERPLUS (PTY) LTD | 223 | |
| BUSINESSPRINT (PTY) LTD | 226 | |
| CAXTON AND CTP PUBLISHERS AND PRINTERS LTD | 227 | |
| COLOUR DISPLAY PRINT (PTY) LTD | 233 | |
| COLOURTONE ARIES (PTY) LTD | 234 | |
| CREDA COMMUNICATIONS (PTY) LTD | 236 | |
| FINISHING POST (PTY) LTD (THE) | 238 | |
| FORMESET PRINT (PTY) LTD | 239 | |
| G M GRAPHIX (PTY) LTD | 241 | |
| GOLDEN ERA PRINTERS AND STATIONERS BOPS (PTY) LTD | 242 | |
| GOVERNMENT PRINTING WORKS (THE) | 244 | |
| HIRT AND CARTER (PTY) LTD | 246 | |
| HR LITHOGRAPHIC PRINTERS CC | 248 | |
| IM DESIGN FACTORY (PTY) LTD | 249 | |
| INTERNATIONAL TRIMMINGS AND LABELS SA (PTY) LTD | 250 | |
| JEAN AND IAN SHORT CC | 252 | |
| JETLINE FRANCHISES (PTY) LTD | 254 | |
| KADIMAH TRADING CORPORATION (PTY) LTD | 257 | |
| KNOX PRINTING COMPANY (PTY) LTD (THE) | 259 | |
| KWIK PRINTING WORKS CC | 261 | |
| LEBONE LITHO PRINTERS (PTY) LTD | 262 | |
| LEXLINES PRESS (PTY) LTD | 264 | |
| LOTUS LITHO (PTY) LTD | 266 | |
| MCC LABEL PAARL SOUTH AFRICA (PTY) LTD | 268 | |
| MEDIA24 (PTY) LTD | 270 | |
| MINUTEMAN PRESS INTERNATIONAL (BRANCH OF MINUTEMAN PRESS INTERNATIONAL INC) | 277 | |
| MORTIMER OFFSET (PTY) LTD | 279 | |
| MPACT LTD | 280 | |
| MULTIPRINT LITHO (PTY) LTD | 286 | |
| NAMPAK PRODUCTS (PTY) LTD | 288 | |
| NOVUS HOLDINGS LTD | 291 | |
| ORANJE DRUKKERY (PTY) LTD | 295 | |
| PRINTAFOIL (PTY) LTD | 297 | |
| PRO BIND PRINT FINISHING (PTY) LTD | 298 | |
| PRO-TOUCH DIES CC | 299 | |
| RAND DATA FORMS (PTY) LTD | 301 | |
| REN-MEDIA CC | 303 | |
| SA LABEL PRINTERS (PTY) LTD | 304 | |
| SACKS PACKAGING (PTY) LTD | 305 | |
| SCREEN IMAGE CC | 307 | |
| SCREENLINE (1971) (PTY) LTD | 309 | |
| SHERENO PRINTERS CC | 311 | |
| SIGN AND SEAL LABELS AND PACKAGING (PTY) LTD | 314 | |
| TANDYM PRINT (PTY) LTD | 316 | |
| TAURUS PACKAGING (PTY) LTD | 318 | |
| TETRA PAK SOUTH AFRICA (PTY) LTD | 320 | |
| THORNBIRD TRADE AND INVEST 100 (PTY) LTD | 322 | |
| TROPIC PLASTIC AND PACKAGING INDUSTRY (PTY) LTD | 324 | |
| TSHWANE PRESS (PTY) LTD | 326 | |
| TYGAN DIGITAL AND SIGNAGE (PTY) LTD | 328 | |
| UNIVERSAL LABELS (PTY) LTD | 330 | |
| USS GRAPHICS INTERNATIONAL (PTY) LTD | 332 | |
| UVP VELTOPAK (PTY) LTD | 334 | |
| ZELPY 1624 (PTY) LTD | 336 |
