LEXINGTON, KY -- WhatTheyThink, the leading news and information source for the graphic communications industry, announces the immediate availability of its new May 2010 Business Conditions Report: The WhatTheyThink Economic and Research Center’s Overview of the Current Economic State of the Industry. This 65-page report provides the results of the Economics and Research Center’s March 2010 survey of print business owners, and compares these results to past quarterly surveys to provide an accurate gauge of how print businesses professionals perceive the economic landscape, how those perceptions are changing, and what actions they are likely to take in response to challenging economic times. In addition to our own survey results, we also provide the most current data available on printing industry shipments and profits.

To put the printing industry data in context, the report also provides a wealth of other economic data, such as GDP, unemployment, inflation, consumer confidence, and more, as well as our own commentary on what trends in these data tell us about prevailing economic conditions—and the market for print. The report also includes the ERC’s own hand-picked set of economic indicators that we feel will provide a “recovery roadmap” to let us know when the economy is on the upswing. What can industry businesspeople look forward to for the rest of 2010 and beyond?

The May Quarterly Business Conditions Report also looks at other trends affecting the industry, provides a handful of suggested “action items” that proactive printing companies and individuals can take to help combat tough economic times, and offers a feature called “Dark Clouds and Silver Linings,” a list of both immediate threats to the industry as well as opportunities for industry businesspeople.

Some of the topics covered in this report include:

• How commercial printers’ business conditions for 2010 have compared to those of 2009.
• How commercial printers expect business for the rest of 2010 to compare to business in 2009.
• What printing processes/technologies do printers say are increasing, decreasing, or remaining the same? Which do they plan to add in 2010 or 2011?
• What printing processes/technologies and other media do print buyers say are increasing, decreasing, or staying the same? 
• What is the general outlook for the economy—and for the printing industry—for the rest of 2010?
• According to the report:
• 22% of respondents to the ERC’s March 2010 survey said that business decreased more than 10%, way down from the 56% that said this in our December 2009 survey.
• 34% of March respondents said that business increased in the first months of 2010, up from 11% in December.
• Still, optimism is getting more tempered now that 2010 is actually here: 54% of March survey respondents said they expect 2010 revenues to increase compared to 2009 revenues, down from 66% of respondents who said this in December.
• 65% of respondents said that they had stopped doing multicolor sheetfed offset work (40-inch press). 

The Quarterly Business Conditions Report also provides WhatTheyThink’s outlook, conclusions, and recommendations.

The May 2010 Quarterly Business Conditions Report is available for online purchase at the WhatTheyThink eStore in PDF format (http://members.whattheythink.com).

Researcher’s Comments

“Prevailing economic indicators suggest that times are getting better in general—and yet the printing industry continues to lose ground—in Q1, it shipments declined twice as fast as the economy grew. As we have often reported in these Quarterly Business Conditions reports, a rising tide doesn’t automatically lift all boats—it’s about time we threw that cliché overboard and started taking serious action.”

Availability

The WhatTheyThink special report, May 2010 Quarterly Business Conditions Report: The WhatTheyThink Economic and Research Center’s Overview of the Current Economic State of the Industry is available for purchase by visiting the secure WhatTheyThink eStore online at http://members.whattheythink.com. The price for the 65-page report is $250. WhatTheyThink eStore customers can download this report in PDF Acrobat format immediately after purchase. Readers can purchase all four quarterly reports for a total of $750. Enterprise site licenses are also available for $1,250 for any single quarterly report, or $3,750 for the set of four.

Editor’s Note

Additional information pertaining to each report is available for editorial purposes. Please make inquiries directly to Cary Sherburne at 603-430-5463 or [email protected],  or visit www.whattheythink.com).

About WhatTheyThink

WhatTheyThink comprises the largest graphic arts community in the print industry. Started in March 2000, WhatTheyThink.com provides daily news, interviews, research, and many more resources to our members. Our goal is to provide unbiased, real-time market intelligence to print and publishing executives.

The name WhatTheyThink (provided by an industry consultant) reflects our goal of developing a community built on what industry professionals had to say. We wanted unbiased takes from print buyers, designers, printers, and suppliers. Not just the big printers or the suppliers who were “buying advertising,” but ideas and knowledge from every corner of the industry.

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Press/Business/Sales Contact…

Cary Sherburne

WhatTheyThink

T: 603-430-5463

E: [email protected]