NEW YORK -- February 11, 2004 -- Like a pile of childrens' building blocks, some will build houses and some will build castles. According to a report released today by TrendWatch Graphic Arts, the development and acceptance of variable data printing or VDP has been similar. For a select, yet significant sub-segment of commercial printers and trade service firms, VDP has been a solid source of revenue generation and market differentiation. And though the report indicates a growing acceptance of VDP, both in terms of technology and application, the report also points out that it takes more than an interest in VDP to bring about a successful implementation. The report, called "Variable Data Printing: Maturing in All the Right Places" is available for online purchase at the TWGA eStore in PDF format. Researcher's Quote... "Our research indicates that the success of VDP is directly related to proper technology, a honed business model, vision and creativity," notes Vince Naselli, Director, TrendWatch Graphic Arts. "The market is quickly becoming that of the 'haves' and the 'have-nots'. On the whole, the 'haves' tend to have VDP programs that are gathering steam, developing increasingly complex applications for an ever-broadening customer base, and are generating increasingly larger revenues. These companies, while still in the vast minority, tend to see their VDP businesses growing or at least holding steady [even during tough economic times] in large part because their customer bases embrace the value of ROI-driven marketing models. The 'have-nots' are the majority of printers with digital presses who are still trying to figure out how to make it work." According to the Report... -- COMMERCIAL PRINTERS: 13% of all respondents see VDP as a sales opportunity for their businesses; while 14% of commercial/quick printers, 9% of trade shops and 27% of digital printers see VDP as a sales opportunity; -- CREATIVE PROFESSIONALS: 5% of all creatives see VDP as a top sales opportunity for their businesses, while 2% of graphic design firms, 7% of ad agencies, 9% of corporate designers, and 2% of commercial photographers see VDP as a top sales opportunity; -- CONSUMER PRODUCT COMPANIES: 6% of all CPCs see "1:1 personalized packaging" as a sales opportunity, as do 5% of CPCs printing flexo, 7% of CPCs printing offset, 8% of CPCs printing gravure, and 9% of CPCs printing digital. Methodology... This report is based on the TWGA historical database, which contains data from the last 18 months of market surveys of printing, publishing, design and creative professionals conducted by TWGA. Data for packaging-related findings was resourced from the Packaging 2003: Directional Trends survey that samples the attitudes of consumer product companies and packaging converters. Analysis is provided by TWGA analysts and supported by industry data. Availability... The TrendWatch Graphic Arts "Variable Data Printing: Maturing in All the Right Places" report is available for purchase by visiting the secure TrendWatch Graphic Arts eStore online at www.trendwatchgraphicarts.com or by phone at 866-873-6310. The price for the 166-page report is $1595. TrendWatch Graphic Arts eStore customers can download this report in PDF Acrobat format immediately after purchase.