NAICS 323111

Overview

The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) is the framework federal statistical agencies use to classify business establishments for collecting, analyzing, and publishing data about the U.S. economy. Developed under the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and adopted in 1997 to replace SIC, NAICS is jointly maintained by the United States, Canada, and Mexico to ensure cross-country comparability. The current reference vintage is 2022. ¹

NAICS 323111 — Commercial Printing (except Screen and Books) — identifies establishments primarily engaged in commercial printing activities other than screen printing and book printing, and is used by federal programs and datasets to categorize industry activity at the national and subnational levels. ²

See also on G2X:

• NAICS 323111
• NAICS 323113
• NAICS 323117

What this NAICS covers

• Printing on purchased stock materials (e.g., paper, plastics, metal, glass) as the core production activity. ³
• Use of commercial printing processes such as lithographic, gravure, flexographic, digital, and letterpress methods. ²
• Job-order production of items like stationery, invitations, labels, marketing collateral, and similar printed matter. ²
• Finishing and post-printing performed by the same establishment (e.g., cutting, folding, laminating, bronzing, and mailing). ³
• Excludes screen printing, which is classified under NAICS 323113. ²
• Excludes book printing and printing-and-binding of books, which belong to NAICS 323117. ²
• Prepress and postpress services without traditional printing fall under NAICS 323120 Support Activities for Printing. ²

Related NAICS and PSC codes

Type	Code	Descriptor
NAICS	323113	Commercial Screen Printing
NAICS	323117	Books Printing
NAICS	323120	Support Activities for Printing
PSC	7690	Miscellaneous Printed Matter

Delimitations and cross-references (NAICS 2022)

• Printing on varied materials (paper, glass, metal, plastics, textiles except grey goods) is part of the Printing industry group, provided the establishment does not manufacture the stock it prints. ³
• Screen-applied graphics are classified separately in NAICS 323113; this is excluded from NAICS 323111 by title. ²
• Book printing (with or without binding in the same plant) is classified in NAICS 323117, not in NAICS 323111. ²
• Manufacturing of printed stationery and similar goods (i.e., when the establishment manufactures the stock) is classified in paper manufacturing subsector NAICS 322, not in Printing. ³
• Common federal supply classifications for printed matter include PSC 7610 (Books and Pamphlets), PSC 7630 (Newspapers and Periodicals), and PSC 7690 (Miscellaneous Printed Matter). ⁴

Frequently asked questions

• How is NAICS 323111 different from NAICS 323113 and 323117?

  • NAICS 323111 covers commercial printing work except screen printing and books. Screen printing is coded to NAICS 323113, and book printing belongs to NAICS 323117. Federal statistical series use these distinctions when tabulating industry data. ²

• Do post-printing services count under NAICS 323111?

  • Yes, when finishing or mailing is performed by the same printing establishment as part of production. Prepress or postpress services provided without traditional printing are classified in NAICS 323120. ³

• What printing processes are included?

  • Typical processes include lithographic, gravure, flexographic, digital, and letterpress printing. NAICS 323111 focuses on commercial work and excludes screen and book printing by definition. ²

• Which PSC codes often align with commercial printing buys?

  • Common supply PSCs for printed matter include PSC 7610, PSC 7630, and PSC 7690. Agencies select PSCs based on the specific printed end items acquired. See also on G2X: PSC 7610, PSC 7630, PSC 7690. ⁴

• When did Census programs begin publishing with 2022 NAICS codes?

  • The Census Bureau began disseminating 2022 NAICS–based statistics with the 2022 Economic Census First Look in January 2024 and plans for full adoption across programs by the end of 2027. ⁵

Useful resources

• G2X — NAICS 323111
• U.S. Census Bureau — NAICS guidance for 2022 Economic Census (structure, purpose, 2022 vintage). ¹
• U.S. Census Bureau — NAICS 2022 industry page for 323111 (official title, definition, and cross-references). ²
• U.S. Census Bureau — Printing and Related Support Activities (industry group description and cross-references). ³
• Acquisition.gov — Product and Service Code (PSC) Manual (official PSC definitions). ⁴
• U.S. Census Bureau — The Census Bureau’s Implementation of the 2022 NAICS (timeline and adoption). ⁵

References

1. U.S. Census Bureau. Economic Census: NAICS Codes & Understanding Industry Classification Systems (2022 guidance). https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/economic-census/year/2022/technical-documentation/code-lists/understanding-naics-redirect.html
2. U.S. Census Bureau. NAICS 2022 — Industry 323111: Commercial Printing (except Screen and Books). https://www.census.gov/naics/?input=323111&year=2022&details=323111
3. U.S. Census Bureau. NAICS 2022 — Industry Group 3231: Printing and Related Support Activities. https://www.census.gov/naics/?input=3231&year=2022&details=3231
4. Acquisition.gov. Product and Service Code Manual. https://www.acquisition.gov/psc-manual/all
5. U.S. Census Bureau. The Census Bureau’s Implementation of the 2022 NAICS. https://www.census.gov/library/reference/code-lists/naics/2022/implementation-timeline.html