Lexington, Kentucky

Dr. Joe Webb, director of Lexington, Kentucky-based What They Think’s Economics and Research Center, offers thoughts on the marketplace’s future in light of current economic challenges. The current financial turmoil is supposedly making it very difficult to forecast the future. However, there is a strange paradox about forecasting—the further out you forecast, the more accurate you can be. But, you can’t use numbers. Most planning exercises I’ve seen in organizations are numbers-focused only and not trend-focused. Demographic trends are almost always the most important underlying contributor to the direction of change. The most important demographic trends today are birth rates, increasing longevity and

Lexington, Kentucky-based WhatTheyThink—an online media organization serving the printing and publishing industry—announced the availability of its most current report titled: “Monthly U.S. Printing Shipments, Issue #33.” It is authored by Dr. Joe Webb, director of WhatTheyThink’s economics and research center. “June printing shipments were $8.16 billion, down $218 million (or 2.6 percent) compared to June 2007,” said Webb. “On an inflation-adjusted basis, shipments were down $638 million (or 7.3 percent) compared to June 2007.” Data collected within the past few months indicated it has been a particularly difficult time for the industry. “Even though the recent GDP estimates for the second quarter were positive,

For an industry plagued by predictions of doom and gloom, it certainly offers tremendous opportunities for growth and success to those who can remain flexible and adaptable. Sales figures for the top 100 manufacturers added up to a whopping $2.97 billion for the last fiscal year completed. And, while this is only a slight increase from the previous year’s grand total of $2.92 billion, it was achieved despite sharply increasing costs for raw materials, postage and fuel. Marketplace demand for printed products, it seems, is on the rise—a trend documented in several key industry studies. Dr. Joe Webb, director of Lexington, Kentucky-based

Lexington, Kentucky-based WhatTheyThink.com—an online media organization serving the printing and publishing industries—launched a digital printing resource center. Headed by Frank Romano, professor emeritus at Rochester Institute of Technology in New York, and sponsored by Kodak’s Graphic Communications Group, it will provide content specific to digital printing, including Romano’s “Digital Thoughts,” top digital printing news and articles and relevant video footage from events such as On Demand, as well as past and upcoming webinars. For more information, visit www.whattheythink.com.

Lexington, Kentucky-based WhatTheyThink.com—an online media organization serving the printing and publishing industry—announced the availability of its most current report titled “Printing Shipments and Profits.” Authored by Dr. Joe Webb, director of WhatTheyThink.com’s Economics and Research Center, the report is available for immediate purchase at www.wttstore.com/prpr.html. “Printing profits for the last four quarters were $4.6 billion, on an inflation-adjusted basis, comparing favorably with the same period a year ago,” said Webb. “However, overall data from the government and our own forecast models show profitability only modestly improving.” Built on data from WhatTheyThink.com’s Economics and Research Center, the U.S. Commerce Department and the U.S. Bureau

Lexington, Kentucky-based WhatTheyThink.com—an online media organization serving the printing and publishing industry—and Print Buyers International announced a new strategic partnership. As a result, WhatTheyThink.com’s subscribers will have unique access to the insights of print buyers, designers, production managers and marketing professionals. In addition, members of Print Buyers International and Boston Print Buyers will benefit from the latest industry news and analysis found on WhatTheyThink.com. Under the terms of the partnership, WhatTheyThink.com will host a regular column by Margie Dana (founder of Print Buyers International and Boston Print Buyers); co-produce WhatTheyThink.com webinars; and jointly produce live annual events. Both organizations will also cross-promote each