The printing and publishing industry of Hong Kong has a long history. It has been playing a crucial role in the cultural industries, as well as in the media.

In its early years, the printing industry mainly adopted a manual mode of production and so it used to be labour-intensive. At that time, the manufacturing industries played an especially important role in society and the printing industry made up a considerable proportion of the labour market. With the rapid development of computer technology, the industry has broken away from its original mode of operation to become an information technology-based business and enter into the realms of the services sector and high-technology industries. The publishing industry mainly served educational purposes in its early years. Its prominent role in fostering Chinese culture, in bonding local and overseas Chinese communities and in drawing on the experience of advanced countries was attributable to the special political status of Hong Kong. As in the printing industry, the publishing industry has also achieved many breakthroughs with the development of information technology and succeeded in entering the realms of electronic and web publishing while continuing with conventional publishing of books and periodicals.

Printing and publishing is one of the territory’s key industries. Its employees account for a significant proportion of the manufacturing sector. With the northward movement of production plants, our printing industry has developed a modus operandi of “Front Shop, Back Factory”, i.e. having its base in Hong Kong while facing the whole world. The front shop secures orders from around the world, produces the design of printing jobs, keeps contact with vendors/customers and centralizes information. Prepress, printing and postpress processes mainly take place in the Mainland. This serves to enhance productivity and competitiveness of the printing industry while maintaining its strengths for sustainable growth.

Publishing is an important creative industry. Due to its geographical location, Hong Kong is the meeting point of Chinese and western cultures. Our financial freedom and freedom of information, coupled with support from the printing industry, have made Hong Kong one of the world-leading places of publication. Among local productions are creative and voguish publications as well as those of global vision. Local products range from newspapers and magazines to book series, periodicals and various types of books. The industry’s development has been furthered by the territory’s role as the bridge between Mainland China and the international community. With a broader vision, Hong Kong citizens have been raising their demands in the areas of culture, entertainment and information. The recent upward trend in consumer spending also contributed to the mushrooming of periodicals that appeal to varied tastes. For a share of the China market pie, many foreign publishers seek cooperation with local publishers to make Hong Kong a base for their expansion into the Mainland. The industry’s prospects become even more promising with China entering the WTO and the establishment of CEPA.

The emergence of digital technology and new media bring new opportunities for the printing and publishing industry with much room for development. Transmission of text and graphics through the Internet is boundless in terms of space, and service providers of the industry suddenly find themselves so close to their overseas clients. Electronic plate-making and digital printing blurred the dividing line between publishing and printing, thus strengthening the tie while allowing for extra flexibility between upstream and downstream processes. New media lift the restrictions of the printed media and realize cross-media transmission as well as geographic and time independent development. Ideas that the paper medium failed to convey in the past may now be communicated by other media. There is now much scope for creativity in the publishing industry.