NEW YORK -- April 15, 2004 -- Like any new technology, acceptance and use is usually a direct function of decline in cost and an increase in quality or functionality. Consequently, digital color printing is also experiencing a sharp, but consistent rise in acceptance and use. According to a new report released today by TrendWatch Graphic Arts, prices for digital presses and related consumables costs have declined significantly. This, in conjunction with technological advancements that have greatly enhanced the output quality, has lead to a steady increase in investment in digital color equipment, up 5 percentage points in our most recent survey. In addition, demand for digital color printing is also steadily climbing. According to the report, 12% of all responding commercial printing firms reported that production of digital color print jobs had increased. And a more staggering 40% of digital printers reported that demand for digital printing work has increased. The report, called "Digital Printing: Destination Here" is available for online purchase at the TWGA eStore in PDF format. For more information, please go to the TWGA website (www.trendwatchgraphicarts.com). Researcher's Quote... TWGA Director, Vince Naselli noted, "The new higher-quality/low cost combination is jolting graphic arts firms to invest in digital color equipment. We're not talking about super-sized growth, but over the last three years, interest in purchasing digital presses has increased steadily. There is a definite sense in the marketplace-both among customers and printers-that these presses have finally 'arrived' and are producing output of sufficient quality, at reasonable cost, and with ample reliability for broad-based market adoption." Last Spring, TWGA predicted that the number of commercial printing establishments having digital color presses would increase by 234.1% (between 2002 and 2007). According to the Report... -- VARIABLE DATA OPPORTUNITY: Printing firms' overall interest in variable data printing has been holding steady for the past five years. Overall, 13% of graphic arts firms see variable data printing as a top sales opportunity for their businesses. Among digital printers, this rises to 27%; -- SHORT-RUN SALES OPPORTUNITY: Short-run color as a sales opportunity using digital color presses gained 6 percentage points between our current and prior print survey. At 16%, this is the highest score ever reached; -- THE CONVERTING MARKET: 15% of reporting converters plan to purchase a digital press in the next 12 months. This number rises 26% for converters that already have digital presses. About the Report... The report is divided into eight sections, each devoted to a select aspect of the digital color printing marketing opportunity: -- Section 1: Digital Printing Color Overview; -- Section 2: Business Market Conditions; -- Section 3: Digital Printing Equipment; -- Section 4: Applications and Opportunities; -- Section 5: Producers of Digital Printing; -- Section 6: Print Buyers; -- Section 7: Variable Data Printing; -- Section 8: Conclusions. Methodology... This report is based on the TWGA historical database, which contains data from the last 18 months of market surveys of printing, publishing, packaging, design and creative professionals conducted by TWGA. Some data was gleaned from established industry resources. Analysis is provided by TWGA analysts and supported by industry data and trends indicated by TWGA primary research. Availability... The TrendWatch Graphic Arts "Digital Printing: Destination Here" report is available for purchase by visiting the secure TrendWatch Graphic Arts eStore online at www.trendwatchgraphicarts.com or by phone at 866-873-6310. The price for the 119-page report is $1295. TrendWatch Graphic Arts eStore customers can download this report in PDF Acrobat format immediately after purchase.