January 6, 2003 - WhatTheyThink.com and CAP Ventures have released the monthly Print Buyer Pulse Index, the industry’s only indicator targeting print customers. The data was compiled in December from print buyers throughout the United States. This index provides real-time analysis of print demand directly from the end user. In December, respondents to the Print Buyer Pulse Index were asked to reflect on 2002 and project spending plans for 2003. Print customers were nearly evenly split between those that indicated spending increased in 2002 and those that indicated it declined. Print customers reported a net decline of -0.8% in print spending in 2002 vs. 2001. These results mirrored the findings from the print providers. This net decline in print spending is also consistent with the overall value of shipments for the printing industry reported by the US Census Bureau. CAP Ventures is projecting that 2002 will come in between 1.5% and 2.5% under 2001. For 2003 print buyers are projecting a modest increase of 1.3% in print spending. This contrasts with the print providers expectation that industry revenue will grow by approximately 5.0%. (Printer Confidence Index to be published tomorrow) CAP Ventures believes the industry’s 2003 real growth rate will be around 2.5% to 3.0% assuming the overall economy continues to improve. Print customers indicated that approximately 29% of the marketing budget is spent on printing. Other major categories include magazines, newspapers, TV, telemarketing and the Internet. Print customers expect to spend a similar portion of their marketing budget on printing in 2003. Premium Access members at WhatTheyThink.com can view charts, graphs, demographics and complete comparisons with previous months. The data can be accessed at www.whattheythink.com.