LEXINGTON, KY -- WhatTheyThink, the leading news and information portal for the graphic communications industry, today released its special report, Print & Creative 2010 and 2011 Forecast, WhatTheyThink’s annual look back at the past year and gaze forward at the next year for printers, creative firms, and publishers. The 107-page report offers a month-by-month look at some of the top news stories of the year, and identifies the most important trends affecting the graphic communications industries—print providers, graphic designers, ad agencies, and publishers. The report also analyzes the prevailing economic environment (such as it is), the current state of the printing industry (drawing on both U.S. government data as well as proprietary Economics and Research Center survey data and analysis), and details the major forces the industry will have to contend with in the next year, offering our advice and recommendations for industry companies.

Print & Creative 2010 Yearbook and 2011 Forecast also includes a “Demographic Almanac” of the printing and creative markets, providing the most current available data on:

• Number of establishments
• Number of employees/annual paroll
• Value of shipments/revenues
• Capital expenditures
• Profits

Print & Creative 2010 Yearbook and 2011 Forecast also provides a comprehensive, qualitative look at current media and information trends and how prevailing and emerging technologies and platforms will impact the demand for print in both the short term and the long term. The iPad? Social media? E-books? Location apps? How are these and other new channels affecting the communication landscape? How are commercial printers starting to approach and even implement some of these items? We also offer looks back at some of the top industry events of the year, such as IPEX and Graph Expo. And didn’t Dr. Joe Webb and Richard Romano write a book in 2010?

WhatTheyThink reports are available for online purchase in PDF format.

Researcher’s Comment

“2010 didn’t end up being as bad as many had feared—or as good as many had hoped. It’s been a pivotal year, not just for the printing industry (it’s been a year of some storied consolidations and mergers), but also for the culture at large. 2010 could be considered the Year of the E-Book—or perhaps the Year of the Mobile Device. Of course,  these two names are not mutually exclusive. And social media is starting to evolve into new directions. Where are all of these things likely to go in 2011? And will the industry go with them?”

According to the Report

• 26% of commercial printers responding to the Economics and Research Center’s December 2010 survey expect 2011 revenues to increase by more than 10% compared to 2010.
• 27% expect revenues to increase between 6% and 10%.
• 22% expect business to increase between 1% and 5% compared to 2010
• 13% expect business to stay about the same, down from 25% in June.

12% of respondents expect revenues to decrease in 2011 compared to 2010.

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.