Print Solutions Magazine, January 2004 -- 433 E. Monroe

You're in Control

Anyone who has watched Congress' reaction to a president's State of the Union address knows that people react differently to the same message. When the president announces a plan, people on one side of the room invariably stand and cheer wildly while folks on the other side stare at the carpet. It's politics at work (or not working, depending on your perspective), but it exemplifies a truth about communication: Receivers of a message have the ultimate power--to believe, reject or ignore.

Same goes for you. All printing professionals have the power to believe what they want to about the state of the industry. You can listen to a colleague bemoan the health of the U.S. economy and the declining demand for forms, then launch a creative marketing campaign that generates dozens of new customers. You can read statistics about the increasing popularity of promotional products, then decide to concentrate on other items instead. You're in control of your business. The state of the industry involves mentality, not just math.

With that in mind, we approached our annual cover story about the opportunities and challenges facing distributors, manufacturers and suppliers by talking with a cross section of industry veterans. In our annual State of the Industry report, "Talking About Tomorrow" (beginning on page 48), they provide excellent insight about where the industry is now, and where it's headed in the future. They share strategies for growth, as well as honest assessments about the industry's weaknesses and challenges.

The five sources represent a range of companies--a distributorship, a manufacturer, a consultant and two suppliers, all of which focus on different product segments and customer types in different regions of the country--but they share common traits. One is the ability to assess the industry at large instead of speaking only about their firms, and another is an outlook for the future that's a refreshing mix of energy, hope and realism.

When predicting the future, it's common to consider a current trend, then predict an extreme. Offices are being automated, U.S. News & World Report knew in 1979, so it quickly predicted a "paperless office" in which "some workers may lose their jobs to robots." Computer technology certainly changed things, but we still have a lot of paper on our desks. (The Wall Street Journal included a great quote in 1985: There will be "a paperless office when there is a paperless bathroom.")

From our perspective at Print Solutions, the state of the industry is interesting and exciting. Distributors, manufacturers and suppliers are working closer together, realizing the most important component in the chain is none of them--it's the end user. Assuming that trend holds, my prediction is that many firms will deserve to stand and cheer this time next year.

Darin Painter

Managing Editor

dpainter@PSDA.org

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Table of Contents

Editor in Chief

Peter L. Colaianni, CAE

Vice President,
Publications & New Media

Brad Holt

Managing Editor

Darin Painter
Assistant Managing Editor
Kara Carpenter

Assistant Editor

Preeti Vasishtha

Art Director/
Production Manager

Roxanne Rash

Advertising Coordinator

Curtessa Pennington

Contributing Editors

Dick Gorelick

Dennis McGarry, CDC

Phil Schmidt

Publications Committee

Dan Swagler, Chairperson
Bob Bell
Jeff Long
Geoffrey Nelson
Tom Nelson
Gail O'Roke, CDC
Geo Plumberg
Ivars Sarkans
Louann Siebert
George Smith, CDC
Bob Talion
Steve Wakefield
Dave Wandling, CDC

Advertising Sales

Print Solutions Magazine
Advertising Department

433 E. Monroe Ave.

Alexandria, VA 22301-1693

(800) 336-4641

Fax: (703) 549-4966

bholt@printsolutionsmag.com

Print Solutions Online

Print Solutions, the only industry magazine to win awards for writing and design excellence, is available online at www.printsolutionsmag.com. The site includes daily news, a comprehensive archive of Print Solutions articles, a complete media kit, links to industry companies and other features not included in the magazine.

Print Solutions is the official publication of the Print Services & Distribution Association (PSDA), the Association for Business Printing Independents. Unsolicited manuscripts are welcome. Please address all submissions to: The Editor, Print Solutions Magazine, 433 E. Monroe Ave., Alexandria, VA 22301-1693. Phone (703) 836-6232, fax (703) 549-4966. You can reach us via email at bholt@printsolutionsmag.com. Visit our World Wide Web site at www.printsolutionsmag.com.

Volume 42, Number 1, January 2004. Print Solutions (USPS 205-400, ISSN 1535-9727) is published monthly by DMIA, 433 E. Monroe Ave., Alexandria, VA 22301-1693, (703) 836-6232. Subscriptions: $29 per year for DMIA members included in dues, $49 for non-members (plus postage for Canada and foreign). Periodicals postage paid at Alexandria, VA, and additional mailing offices.

Postmaster: Send address changes to Print Solutions, 433 E. Monroe Ave., Alexandria, VA 22301-1693.

Statements of fact and opinion are the responsibility of the authors alone and do not imply approval on the part of the Publications Committee, Officers or Membership of DMIA.

Printed in the USA.