LEXINGTON, KY -- WhatTheyThink, the leading news and information source for the graphic communications industry, announces the immediate availability of its new January 2010 Quarterly Business Conditions Report: The WhatTheyThink Economic and Research Center’s Overview of the Current Economic State of the Industry. This 82-page report provides the results of the Economics and Research Center’s December 2009 survey of print business owners, and compares these results to past quarterly surveys to provide an accurate gauge of how print businesses professionals perceive the economic landscape, how those perceptions are changing, and what actions they are likely to take in response to challenging economic times. In addition to our own survey results, we also provide the most current data available on printing industry shipments and profits.

To put the printing industry data in context, we also provide a wealth of other economic data, such as GDP, unemployment, inflation, consumer confidence, and more, as well as our own commentary on what these data really tell us about prevailing economic conditions and the market for print. The report also includes the ERC’s own hand-picked set of economic indicators that we feel provide a “recovery roadmap” to let us know when the economy is on the upswing. (Hint: it looks like we’re two-thirds of the way there.) What can industry businesspeople look forward to in Q1 2010 and beyond?

The January 2010 Quarterly Business Conditions Report also looks at other trends affecting the industry, provides a handful of suggested “action items” that proactive printing companies and individuals can take to help combat tough economic times, and offers a feature called “Dark Clouds and Silver Linings,” a list of both immediate threats to the industry as well as opportunities for industry businesspeople.

Some of the topics covered in this report include:

• How have commercial printers perceived business conditions for 2009?
• How do commercial printers expect business in 2010 to compare to 2009?
• What capital investments do printers plan to make in 2010?
• Do printing companies plan to hire any employees in 2010?
• What are business conditions and planned investments among graphic designers and other creative companies?
• What other cultural, technological, and media trends are affecting the industry and the market for print?

According to the report:

• 56% of respondents to the ERC’s December 2009 survey said that revenues in 2009 decreased more than 10% from 2008.
• 11% of December respondents said that revenues increased compared to 2008.
• 66% of respondents expect 2010 revenues to increase compared to 2009.
• 48% of graphic design businesses said that business had decreased in 2009, and 53% expect business to increase in 2010.
• 48% of print shops plan to make production investments in their business in the new year.

The January 2010 Quarterly Business Conditions Report also provides WhatTheyThink’s outlook, conclusions, and recommendations.

January 2010 Quarterly Business Conditions Report: The WhatTheyThink Economic and Research Center’s Overview of the Current Economic State of the Industry is available for online purchase at the WhatTheyThink Store in PDF format.

Researcher’s Comments

“While many shops are pinning their hopes on a changing calendar, the fact remains that the printing industry is an industry in transition, and wholesale changes in business strategy need to be made now, or even a general economic recovery won’t help. There are many print businesses that are being proactive, but many more that are simply being reactive and continuing a ‘business as usual’ approach. But business has never been more unusual than it is today—and it will only become even more unusual as we go into the next decade.”

Availability

The WhatTheyThink special report, January 2010 Quarterly Business Conditions Report: The WhatTheyThink Economic and Research Center’s Overview of the Current Economic State of the Industry is available for purchase by visiting the secure WhatTheyThink eStore online at http://members.whattheythink.com. The price for the 82-page report is $250. WhatTheyThink eStore customers can download this report in PDF Acrobat format immediately after purchase. Readers can purchase all four quarterly reports for a total of $750. Enterprise site licenses are also available for $1,250 for any single quarterly report, or $3,750 for the set of four.

Editor’s Note

Additional information pertaining to each report is available for editorial purposes. Please make inquiries directly to Cary Sherburne at 603-430-5463 or [email protected],  or visit www.whattheythink.com).

About WhatTheyThink

WhatTheyThink is the printing and publishing industry's leading media organization; offering a wide range of publications delivering unbiased, real-time market intelligence, industry news, economic and trend analysis, peer-to-peer communication, and special reports on emerging technology and critical events. WhatTheyThink also hosts webinars and live events that are timely and relevant o today's busy industry executives along with consulting and speaker services that leverage a talented pool of writers and industry analysts.

WhatTheyThink consists of flagship site WhatTheyThink.com, discussion forum site PrintPlanet.com, and industry blog PrintCEO.com.