(Weymouth, MA) September 5, 2006 -- InfoTrends, the leading worldwide consulting firm for the digital imaging and document solutions industry, announced the completion of it’s latest multi-client study entitled “A Vertical-Market Approach to Document Services in the U.S.: The Evolution from Printer to Partner.” The study provides the information document services providers and their suppliers need to better serve their existing markets, increase their share, and successfully target new opportunities. The study surveyed 1,396 document owners and print buyers across 11 vertical industries in the U.S. to create a detailed profile of the document services requirements in each market. It focuses on the document services provided on-site or off-site by internal, staffed print or copy centers or by external printers, service bureaus, or document outsourcing providers. The 11 vertical industries profiled include: * Accommodation * Educational services * Executive, Legislative, and Other General Government Support * Financial Services * Food Manufacturing * Hospitals * Insurance Carriers and Related Activities * Legal Services * Retail * Telecommunications * Transportation Equipment Manufacturing Several key messages can be interpreted from the overall survey. These include: * Responsibility for decisions about print and document production continues to be a distributed function in most organizations. * Respondents expect the amount of print produced at their internal staffed facilities to increase versus print produced with outside vendors. * Over half of documents in most application categories are delivered though multiple channels (i.e. in print and electronically). * Presentations are increasing in importance as an application type for business communications. * The use of color continues to grow in business communications. * About 11% of all print is purchased via Web-enabled tools, excluding e-mail and FTP sites. Applications that are more frequently purchased via the Web include marketing materials such as brochures, flyers and sell sheets, and office stationery. “One of the interesting points of the study was that respondents were conservative about the growth of value added services, while service providers were much more optimistic”, said Holly Muscolino, director of the Production Workflow Solutions Service. “Service providers will need to work hard to promote these services and educate their customers about the value they offer. Document owners don’t always know what is possible.” To learn more about the study or to make a purchase, contact Alison Hipp at (781) 616-2100, ext. 126, or via e-mail at [email protected]. Additional information can also be found online at www.infotrends.com.