TORRANCE, Calif., (June 23, 2005) --- The Electronic Document Systems Foundation (EDSF), the non-profit organization dedicated to the document communications industry, announced the publication of a landmark, co-branded research paper on industry trends with particular emphasis on buyers in that market. The white paper continues research begun in 2004 and reveals important information about paper-based and digital communications with a focus on controlling costs. "Document Communications---Industry Trends: 2005 Survey Results" is a collaboration between Doculabs, a Chicago-based technology consulting firm, and the University of Illinois at Chicago Center for Research in Information Management (CRIM). “As the research paper indicates, our industry is struggling with the need to reduce paper-based communication costs while at the same time increasing investment to support electronic delivery,” said James K. Watson, Jr., Ph.D., CEO and founder of Doculabs. “This is an exciting time of change in the document industry, and we at Doculabs are pleased to be a part of an EDSF sponsored endeavor that may assist others as they strive to find an appropriate balance between paper and electronic communications.” Highlights of "Document Communications---Industry Trends: 2005 Survey Results" include: ---Budgets have increased moderately in 2005 and are likely to increase significantly due to postal rate increases in 2006. Print operations are likely to be under great scrutiny to reduce costs to offset this increase. ---Timeliness, cost, and personalization of communications remain the top three concerns for buyers in the market. All three requirements lend support for the transition to digital delivery, as transit times can be cut from days to seconds, costs can be shaved from tens of cents to fractions of cents, and personalization continues to be limited only by the creativity of the hosting organization. ---The use of color for transactional applications such as statements, bills, and correspondence remains limited to niche applications. While 88% of organizations use some form of digital color in their production, 47% reported that less than 1% of their volumes employ digital color“. "EDSF is grateful to have such high-caliber supporters as Doculabs and CRIM to help us continue our charter to study the way document technology impacts individual and organizational behavior,” said EDSF Vice Chair of Research Kenneth M. Morris, Ph.D., CEO of Lightbulb Press. “Doculabs has generously donated expertise, time and energy to this project, and the whole document industry benefits as a result.” EDSF provides funding through a grant to CRIM for their participation in the project. EDSF has already sponsored free learning opportunities highlighting the results of the research through a webinar and a conference session during AIIM ON DEMAND. Later in the year, EDSF will release industry papers featuring collaborations between InfoTrends/CAP Ventures and Clemson University and Gartner Group and University of Connecticut (UCONN). "Document Communications---Industry Trends: 2005 Survey Results" is available as a free download at www.edsf.org