When it comes to variable data printing, the marketplace is divided into the "haves" and the "have nots". And the "haves" are starting to pull away from the pack to an even greater extent than in the past.

As we discuss in our most recent Special Report on variable data printing, "Variable Data Printing 2004: Maturing in All the Right Places", variable data printers have split into two highly distinct groups  those who "get" VDP and everybody else. Each group is facing very different needs and issues, and the gap between them is widening.

Who are the "haves"? These companies are the early adopters or, more often now, the latecomer entrepreneurial types who have developed dedicated VDP business models and workflows, have the infrastructures, skill sets, and customer bases to implement complex, long-term programs, and have customers that have embraced the VDP marketing model. What's exciting is that these companies exist today. Despite their small numbers, they are the ones dominating the marketplace, driving the high-volume applications, and continually pushing their suppliers to develop ever-more sophisticated software and bindery solutions to meet their customers' increasingly demanding needs.