PKD 18—Printing and reproduction of recorded information media

Where 18 sits

1. C Industrial Processing
2. 18 Printing and reproduction of recorded information media

Contains 2 narrower codes

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

What 18 includes

• This division includes: - printing of products (e.g., books, newspapers, magazines and other periodicals, business forms and greeting cards), printing on T-shirts and other materials, - reproduction of recorded media (e.g., CDs, video recordings, software on disks or tapes, records), - support services (e.g., bookbinding, photoengraving, and photocomposition).
• Support services are an integral part of the printing activity, while the product (printing plate, bound book, file, or computer disk) resulting from this activity is always obtained as a result of these activities. Ownership of the input material is irrelevant to the classification of printing and reproduction of recorded media. Division 18 explicitly covers processing activities. Various methods used in printing (lithography, photoengraving, seriography, flexography) are used to transfer an image from a plate, screen, or computer file to a medium (e.g., paper, plastic, metal, fabric, or wood). Often, a computer file is used to directly drive a printing mechanism to create the image, or electrostatic equipment and other types of devices (digital or non-impact printing). Although printing and publishing activities can be performed by the same entity (e.g., a newspaper), these activities are increasingly rarely performed in the same location.

What 18 excludes

• Publishing activities, classified in the appropriate subclasses of section J;
• Manufacturing of products using a 3D printer, classified according to the type of product manufactured and the material used;
• Printing on textile products as part of their production process, classified in the appropriate subclasses of other divisions of section C.

18 in other systems