NEW YORK -- October 15, 2002 -- TrendWatch Graphic Arts, a leading research firm in the graphic communications industry, today announced a landmark multi-client study to objectively examine the buying habits and influences of print and media buyers. The "TrendWatch Graphic Arts Graphic Media Customer Requirements Study" is scheduled for release in July of 2003 and will provide subscribers with data and analysis of how economic, technological, and media penetration changes are influencing the marketplace and print buyers decisions. For more information about the study, please visit the TrendWatch website (www.trendwatchgraphicarts.com). "At any given point in time, print and media businesses are dominated by their top three or four customers," notes Vince Naselli, TrendWatch Director. "The business conditions, challenges, and a myriad of issues that impact those customers are heavily influenced by what those customers deem important. Therefore, where the shop owner thinks his customers' businesses are headed plays a major role in a their' plans for capital investment. The current resources of a plant [both in terms of personnel and capital equipment] and whether or not they meet predetermined needs is therefore a direct function of that shop's future investments." Multi-Client Survey: Answers from the Source... By surveying the print and media buyers, TWGA aims to answer many critical questions and issues that will be facing graphic arts suppliers for years to come. Some potential research questions for these (segmented by product/topic categories) include: -- Channels: To what extent are dealer consolidation shaping channels? What is the role of the dealer? Will e-commerce allow direct-sales models to work? What kinds of dealer salespeople are/will be needed? What kinds of vendor salespeople? What are the training issues?; -- Demand for print: What are the expectations for print effectiveness among corporate buyers, advertisers, acceptability of print substitutes (toner/ink jet), and media substitutes (Internet, etc.); -- Marketing Communications with Customers: What are the changing roles of trade shows, sales representatives, dealers, training, service and support, "dog and pony" shows, seminars, Weimar's, associations (national and local)? -- Publishing Software: Is it all about cross media? If so, in what markets and when? How critical is cross-media to users, and how far are they into implementation? Do printers know what cross-media is, and what role they might play? Is there really such a thing as collaboration or is it still serial workflow and file format issues?; -- Workflow: How is telecommunications changing workflow? How is it effecting a decentralization of production management, and what are the proofing and publishing management issues?; -- Computer-to-Plate: Is the market at saturation? What will it take to move CAP technology down market? How much of the market will be replacement? What is the relationship with imagesetter installations -- are they backup for CTP and will there be one last wave of imagesetter investment? Is CTP a transition for rampant on-press imaging? What sizes of devices are most likely to be needed? What throughput requirements? What will be the replacement rate? Who will buy them?; -- Direct-to-Press: When will it be broadened? What is role with toner/inkjet? Will there be hybrid devices that can be used in mainstream printing? What are the barriers to broader adoption? Up to what size can it go?; -- Printing Presses/Digital Presses: Can the physical appearance and characteristics of toner/inkjet satisfy offset users? What are the barriers to the shift of sheetfed work to digital? Are multi-process presses (i.e., sheetfed with inline versioning) a kind of "CatDog" convergence?; Graphic Arts Segments Targeted... TWGA's primary research will rely on interviews and surveys with critical print and media players: -- Magazine, Book and Catalog Publishers; -- Internet Marketers and Major Corporate Advertisers; -- Ad, Creative and Design Agencies; -- Commercial Printers of Varying Sizes and Applications; -- Channel Dealers and Distributors; -- Professional Media and Insert Buyers. Methodology... As with all TWGA reports and studies, the "TrendWatch Graphic Arts Graphic Media Customer Requirements Study" will employ established and statistically reliable methodology to ensure that survey responses are representative of markets researched. The approach will be enhanced by a larger sample size and multiple research techniques to ensure proper coverage of each segment. To analyze and verify data collected from the research, TWGA analysts will compare secondary market trending data previously gathered from the TrendWatch Graphic Arts print, publishing and creative market surveys and the Graphic Arts Blue Book database. Sponsorship Pricing... The price for this multi-client study is $20,000 per participating company. TrendWatch is offering a pre-subscription price of $16,500 for companies that purchase this study before November 30, 2002. As always, TrendWatch will work with purchasers who need to meet unique budget cycles.