Welcome to this webinar archive. The live event was held on February 27, 2007, but you may still access the content with the resources below.

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Post-webinar Q&A

Q. How can digital printers take the iPhone and use it to their advantage in marketing, sales, and products?

A. First, there should be some curiosity about them...getting hands on with some of these new gadgets leads to an understanding about them. One of the obvious things is that web surfing will be rather cumbersome with such a small screen. If you have a print client who expects that some of their target audience might want to access data using the device (like someone searching for a restaurant online), setting up a separate web page or set of pages that can be viewed in that format might be a good idea. The iPhone will be an excellent PDA, most likely, so using it in that manner would be a good start.

Q. Is there a market track on magazines and periodicals? I hear so much on the newspaper industry measuring the movement in the print industry but not much on magazines and periodicals and if they show trends of consumer interest.

A. No there isn't. We can track industry revenues and employment, and some high-level postal data, but other than data from the Magazine Publishers Association, I am not aware of it. Occasionally there are studies by associations and others, but there seems to be nothing that provides a regular measurement.

Q. What is the most disruptive technology that will affect print?

A. We've already had it: personal computing and desktop publishing. The Internet would be third. I can't see any things that are truly disruptive on the horizon that aren't already extensions of those. They're disruptive enough already, and they still have more to go.

Q. How do you see the future of sheetfed printing with digital taking more of the short run and Web becoming more economical for shorter runs? Will sheetfed be squeezed out?

A. Yes, eventually sheetfed will be squeezed out, but there's a lot of press replacement (and downsizing) that needs to be done to optimize the installed base. There won't be anything sudden about it, but it's clear the only area of the industry that's growing on a process basis is digital.

Q. XPS, again, this is an XML standard, where can it go?

A. It's more of a corporate thing. Outside the U.S., I'd be looking more for the Open Document format and Adobe Acrobat, both of which Microsoft grudgingly supports, to be more important.

Q. Do you foresee a day when many newspapers will become weekly, such as stopping daily publishing in favor of Saturday and Sunday only, and when will this occur?

A. It's happening gradually and will stay that way. Look for Monday and/or Tuesday editions and Saturday to disappear first. It's more likely there would be four weekday editions and Sunday than a switch to one edition per week. In many cases, especially with retailers, there are no superior options for advertising other than newspapers.

Q. Are mergers and acquisitions within the printing industry ultimately a way for printers to remain competitive with global competitors?

A. Mergers have their place, but most of them do not do well because they spend time dealing with integrating multiple organizations. Starting from scratch is risky, but you don't have to deal with undoing legacy infrastructure, which is always helpful. I get a little weary about “remaining competitive” because it's so defensive. How about being a global player instead?

Q. Does this forecast apply to in-plants, or is it mainly directed towards large operations?

A. My discussions about printing plants, unless otherwise noted, are about U.S. commercial printing plants in NAICS 323 as specified by the U.S. Department of Commerce.  This does not include in-plants.

If you have questions about this webinar, please contact Eric: eric@whattheythink.com

About Presstek

Presstek, Inc. is the leading manufacturer and marketer of high tech digital imaging solutions to the graphic arts and laser imaging markets. Presstek's patented DI(R), CTP and plate products provide a streamlined workflow in a chemistry-free environment, thereby reducing printing cycle time and lowering production costs. Presstek solutions are designed to make it easier for printers to cost effectively meet increasing customer demand for high-quality, shorter print runs and faster turnaround while providing improved profit margins. Presstek subsidiary, Lasertel, Inc., manufactures semiconductor laser diodes for Presstek's and external customers' applications. For more information visit www.presstek.com, or call 603-595-7000 or email: info@presstek.com.

About WhatTheyThink.com

WhatTheyThink.com is the printing and publishing industry's leading online 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. Serving a membership base of more than 50,000, WhatTheyThink.com also hosts webinars and live events as well as providing content through a syndication program, which delivers content directly to related websites, and through RSS.

About Dr. Joe Webb

Dr. Joe Webb is one of the graphic arts industry's best-known consultants, forecasters, and commentators. He is the director of WhatTheyThink.com's Economics and Research Center.

A 30-year veteran of the graphic arts industries, he was the founder of the influential TrendWatch information service, which was sold to Reed Elsevier in 2000. Since January 2003, his "Mondays with Dr. Joe" column has become a must-read feature on WhatTheyThink.com, as have his quarterly economic forecast webinars, where he analyzes trends in the economy, technology, and the industry, interpreting what they mean for executives and their strategic decisions.

He is a Ph.D. graduate of the NYU Center for Graphic Communications Management and Technology (1987) and serves on the Center's Board of Advisors. He holds an MBA in Management Information Systems from Iona College (1981) and was a magna cum laude graduate in Managerial Sciences and Marketing from Manhattan College (1978), and was a member of the economics honor society. He has taught graduate and undergraduate courses in marketing, market research, quantitative analysis, business policy, and organizational behavior. He started in the industry with Agfa's Graphic Systems Division and was later a marketing executive with Chemco Photoproducts, entering consulting full time in 1987. Among his publications is the controversial "Renewing the Print Industry: A Contrarian's Constructive Perspective."