Last millennium, I wrote software for print manufacturing, eg newspapers, magazines, books, flyers... Tasks like image positioning, color trapping, bindery, etc. Super fun work.

Even then, only the biggest clients spent money. Since then -- post dotcom bust, 9/11, Bush looting of economy, rise of online, decline of advertising, switch from offset CMYK press to digital composite printing (eg color laserjet), rise of ebooks -- there's even less money for capital improvements.

With the benefit of hindsight, I can't imagine printers staying ahead of the phenomenal rate of technical change AND the constantly shifting marketplace.

So I think the print manufacturers have had a pretty good strategy: huge initial investment and then ride that sled all the way to the bottom.

Anticipating the disruptive near term technologies for all manufacturing (eg 3D printing, mass customization), I just don't see a sizable market for 3rd party software coming back.

I've half-concluded that smart software/IT investment money would be for in house development. To out run one's competitors.