INTERQUEST, a leading market and technology research and consulting firm serving the digital printing and publishing industry, has released a comprehensive assessment of transactional printing in North America. The study is based on in-depth interviews with leading commercial and in-house transactional providers that collectively generate more than one-third of the transactional print volume in North America. The study includes an overview of Canadian transactional printing and how it compares to the overall North American market.

According to Toby Cobrin, a Director at INTERQUEST, "A great deal has happened since we last examined the market in 2009. The recession bottomed out, the USPS is in troubled waters, and EBPP continues to erode First Class Mail volume. We conducted in-depth conversations and surveys of the leading players and came away with a clear and compelling portrait of the market as it is today and how it will likely evolve in the future."

In addition to providing market size and forecasts through 2016, the study analyzes the impact of the economy on the market, the electronic diversion of printed documents, USPS issues, the state and future of transpromo, the adoption of high-speed inkjet presses, MICR printing, on-the-fly envelope creation and imprinting opportunities, and recent developments in transactional hardware and software.

The study concludes that transactional print volume will decline by about 4% to 5% annually over the next few years—an acceleration of the decline it has experienced in recent years. According to Cobrin, "The recession caused mailers to step up their efforts to drive customers to a paperless process; it also caused mailers to seek further cost reductions in transactional mail. But the long-term decline in transaction mail was to be expected, and service providers are adapting to it. We continue to see solid growth in full-color output as more mailers eliminate preprinted forms and refine their transpromo offerings. In addition, the market is continuing to embrace high-speed inkjet with open arms."

North American Transactional Printing: Market Update & Forecast (2011-2016) is immediately available for $995. The 250-page report, which includes more than 140 tables and charts, can be ordered by contacting INTERQUEST at 434-979-9945, or through the company's website: www.inter-quest.com/reports.php