During the past two years, the graphic arts industry has experienced a tremendous surge in e-commerce activity. In that time period, the number of print-related Internet companies grew exponentially, from a mere handful in early 1999 to over 200 firms today. There is now widespread belief (at least among industry "experts") that e-commerce will play a significant role in the future of the graphic arts industry

So far, however, the actual adoption rate of full-blown print e-commerce has been relatively low. Although the doubts and concerns about print e-commerce have been expressed in a number of ways, printers’ skepticism regarding e-commerce results ultimately from their uncertainty about one critical issue: Can e-commerce really improve a printing company’s profits? Even after all of the seminars, magazine articles and expert analysis of the past two years, many printers still do not have a clear answer to this fundamental question. Part of the difficulty in answering this question arises from the "newness" of print e-commerce, and part results from the ever-changing and complex nature of the print e-commerce landscape. But much of the uncertainty exists because

e-commerce presents printers with a classic paradox, and the "resolution" of that paradox involves difficult business decisions.