A Sea Change in Print Buying

Optimize operations—"… Investing in IT infrastructure is essential to remove costs from the entire printing business."

Seek partners overseas—"… Overseas suppliers are producing goods at lower cost and increasing levels of quality. It is important to work with some of these suppliers …"

Invest overseas—"The idea of investing overseas may be beyond the financial or management capabilities of many print firms, but it should be considered."

In closing, the researchers expand their focus to offer a holistic prescription for the U.S. printing industry. "Market forces and consumer preferences require that print's prices continue to go down. This is not a capacity issue; it's a fact of a highly competitive market for all media, in which print is one choice among many. Instead of being focused solely on trying to quote the lowest print prices, printers should be able to communicate the value print offers for particular projects." …

This article was reprinted, with permission, from Printing Impressions, March 2005.

About the Report

• Executive summary with key report findings

• Discussions of economic trends and enabling technological and other factors

• Recommendations to printers and suppliers about competing and navigating the new global market for print

• Industry trade data

• Hyperlinked bibliography

• Private Web site for latest data and news updates

• Hard copy of final report

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