TORRANCE, Calif., (October 4, 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 how business process managers regard printing. By viewing print as an integral business function rather than merely part of a necessary infrastructure, the study suggests, managers can transform print into a thrifty, competitive hero. “Criticality of Printed Information in the Financial Services Industry: 2005 Survey Results” is a collaboration between Gartner, a Stamford, Conn.-based consulting firm, and the University of Connecticut. “The survey results reveal that business managers believe printed information is critical to their business process, but they are generally not engaged or aware of how to improve their situation,” said Andrew Johnson, Gartner’s Managing Vice President. “Far from being discouraged, we regard this as an opportunity for increased education leading to cost savings and new competitive opportunities. We are pleased that EDSF provides these grants to universities and enables opportunities for organizations like Gartner to work with them, to conduct research for the benefit of the document industry. This is a win-win for everyone involved.” Highlights of “Criticality of Printed Information in the Financial Services Industry: 2005 Survey Results” include: -- Approximately two-thirds (65%) of those surveyed indicate that print is a highly important part of their business processes. In departments where print is predominantly used for communications (external-facing), 81% of the managers consider print to be highly important to their business processes. But in departments that use print almost entirely for internal communication (internal facing), 55% of the managers view print as critical to their business process. -- Managers are engaged in business process management/improvement (BPM) projects, but are not evaluating and changing print processes as part of these projects. -- Most of the changes in print have been unplanned and brought about by BPM. In fact, 35% of managers involved with BPM report that most print/copying changes have been unplanned. -over- -- Nearly half of those surveyed (43%) believe they can significantly reduce the volume of printing. Interestingly, this belief is held strongly by 55% of the managers from internal-facing departments as compared to only 17% of the managers from external-facing departments. "EDSF congratulates Gartner and the University of Connecticut on this illuminating research. It has tremendous value to any organization where print plays a part. While EDSF provided a grant to UCONN, Gartner generously donated time and expertise, “said EDSF Vice Chair of Research Kenneth M. Morris, Ph.D., CEO of Lightbulb Press. This year, EDSF previously released an industry paper featuring research from Doculabs and the University of Illinois at Chicago Center for Research in Information Management (CRIM); look for another industry paper based on a collaboration between InfoTrends/CAP Ventures and Clemson University later in the year. “Criticality of Printed Information in the Financial Services Industry: 2005 Survey Results” and other EDSF papers are available as free downloads at www.edsf.org.