NACE-BEL 18—Printing and reproduction of recorded media

Where 18 sits

1. C Manufacturing
2. 18 Printing and reproduction of recorded media

Contains 2 narrower codes

• 18.1 Printing and service activities related to printing
• 18.2 Reproduction of recorded media

What 18 includes

• This division includes the printing of products (e.g., newspapers, books, periodicals, business forms, and greeting cards), the printing of T-shirts and other materials, and also covers ancillary activities (e.g., binding, photogravure, and typesetting services). The ancillary activities included here are integral to the printing industry, and a product (a printing plate, a bound book, or a computer file or disk) from this industry is almost always obtained from these operations.
• Ownership of the raw materials is not relevant for the classification of printing and recording reproduction. Division 18 explicitly covers converting activities.
• The processes used in printing include a variety of methods for transferring an image from a plate, screen, or computer file onto a substrate (e.g., paper, plastic, metal, fabric, or wood). The main method involves transferring the image from a plate or screen onto the substrate using lithography, photogravure, screen printing, and flexography. A computer file is often used to directly control the printing mechanism that creates the image, and newer types of electrostatic or other equipment are also used (digital or non-impact printing).
• Although printing and publishing can be carried out by the same unit (for example, a newspaper), it is becoming increasingly rare for these two separate activities to be performed in the same location.
• This division also includes: - the reproduction of recorded media (e.g., compact discs, video recordings, software on discs or tapes, recordings)

What 18 excludes

• Publishing activities, see section J
• The manufacture of products using a 3D printer, which are classified according to the product or material used

18 in other systems