NEW YORK - February 16, 2005 - TrendWatch Graphic Arts today released the most groundbreaking, detailed Special Report on variable data printing in the company's history. In "Variable Data Printing 2005: Finally, the Data Are In!" TWGA gives the marketing, creative, and printing worlds their first look at the detailed inner-workings of the variable data printing (also called "personalization" or "1:1 marketing) marketplace. This Special Report provides a detailed look at who is producing and purchasing variable data printing, at what level of sophistication, in what volumes, how quickly their use (or production) of these applications is growing or declining, and what technologies are being used to output these jobs. It also asks creatives about the perceived benefits and barriers to using VDP. The data is broken out into printer, trade shop, and creative segments, as well as by shop size. TWGA Special Reports are available for online purchase at the TWGA eStore in PDF format. News Highlights... -- 29% of commercial printers as a whole produce some sort of VDP jobs in-house (rising to 58% of digital printers) and 13% outsource them; -- 38% of creatives say they have produced VDP jobs in the last 12 months, including 49% who say they've produced full-color variable-image, variable-text jobs; -- 19% of creatives say their use of these applications is increasing "a little" or "a lot;" Remaining Challenges... In addition to documenting the current status of the industry, the report details many of the industry's upcoming challenges. After a decade of educating the creative marketplace about VDP, the report finds a lot of misinformation that still exists about these applications. For example, while 49% of creatives doing VDP claim to be doing full-color variable-text, variable-image jobs, only 24% of these same creatives say they are using digital color presses to output VDP jobs! If for no other reason, manufacturers, digital printers, and other industry educators will find this report valuable as a roadmap to designing future industry training and education. But there hardly needs to be an excuse to delve into the wealth of long overdue data provided in the report. For the first time since full-color variable-text, variable-image jobs were introduced more than a decade ago, the industry has its first detailed data on one of the hottest, and yet most secretive, applications. Notes Heidi Tolliver-Nigro, TrendWatch GA analyst and author of the report, "The industry has been waiting a long time for hard data on what's really going on in the variable data printing marketplace, and now that we have it, the data are both encouraging and surprising, For manufacturers supplying the digital printing and variable data printing marketplaces, printers supplying (or looking to enter) this marketplace, or creatives looking to analyze their competitive positioning, these data are absolutely critical. They give us both the first realistic picture of the actual dynamics of this marketplace and the information we need to continue to maximize opportunities for growth." Availability... The TrendWatch Graphic Arts "Variable Data Printing 2005" report, including a useful Executive Summary, is available for purchase by visiting the secure TrendWatch Graphic Arts eStore online at www.trendwatchgraphicarts.com/special or by phone at 866-873-6310. The price for the 153-page report is $995. TrendWatch Graphic Arts eStore customers can download this report in PDF Acrobat format immediately after purchase.