Spinning a Web

4over has a secret it is not giving up just yet.

"We believe the latest trend in the industry is or soon will be bringing more than just ink and paper to the customer," Mergerdichian said. "But at this time we are not able to share more than this."

Some web-to-print trends are hanging on to their last breaths. For example, the tradition of extended press checks and proofing job slowly is dying down, Mergerdichian noted.

"Today's technology is such that they are not as necessary as they used to be," Mergerdichian said. "Speed, convenience and price are the name of the game today."

Vignjevic added, competitive bids that are below costs are dying out. "[It] seemed for a couple of years we were getting calls asking us to match prices that were just unreal. Actually, below costs. These requests are going away because our pricing is very competitive and people are now looking at the entire price, including proofing, bindery and shipping. They are realizing that competitors are loading up these extra services with markup. What looked like a great deal up front, may actually be costing more."

For the most part, there's still a money crunch.

The National Bureau of Economic Research, the group charged with keeping track of when economic slumps begin and end, recently announced the United States' Great Recession ended in June 2009.

These print pros still feel the penny pinching.

Vignjevic said his company absolutely remains impacted.

"It has enabled us to be more efficient in our internal processes and focus on what we do best, which is focus on the needs of our customers. We don't take transactions for granted. Every order is important. We are also spending much more time with customers through trade shows, conventions, tours and conference calls in an effort to partner with them," he explained.