January 21, 2002 - WhatTheyThink.com and CAP Ventures have released their monthly Print Buyer Pulse Index. The data is compiled each month from print customers throughout the United States. The goal of the index is to provide real-time analysis of print demand directly from the end user. There was a slight increase in the percentage of companies that plan to purchase print in the current month (79.2% for January) compared with last month (72.6% in December). A higher percentage of companies in all company size categories and annual print spend categories indicated they plan to purchase print in the current month. Traditionally, December is a slower month for printing with many customers completing their holiday printing in the fall. The January polling of print customers indicated that 28% of print customers expect their print spending to increase over the next 6 months, down from 35% in the December poll. However, the percentage of print customers indicating they expect their print spending to decline over the next 6 months was relatively unchanged (14% in January poll) compared with the December poll (12.4%). All the print customer size categories had a slightly more negative 6-month outlook in January compared with December. The research suggests that demand for print will continue to be sluggish during the first half of 2002, but not experience the significant declines that have characterized 2001. Premium Access Members at WhatTheyThink.com can view charts, graphs and detailed analysis - including: - Large buyers to spend heavily in January versus December. - Spending amounts cross-tabulated by the buyer’s annual budget. - Outlook: Print demand indicator holds steady, Minimal growth expected.