| The print industry is undergoing a major transformation. As print volumes are threatened by alternative media, print service providers must revisit their fundamental business models and operations to adapt to the changing business climate. Revenue growth will be dependent on cost reduction via the introduction of new workflow efficiencies as well as new revenue sources from higher margin, value added services. Although better/faster/cheaper presses, digital printers, and pre- and post-printing devices will certainly play a significant role in advancing both of these objectives, it will be the software driving these devices, as well as other software solutions up and down the value chain, that will provide differentiation to print service providers and solution vendors.
This fundamental change represents an opportunity for software and solution vendors. In 2004, InfoTrends produced a multi-client study entitled The Global Print Production Workflow Market: Enabling Fundamental Business Change in Graphic Arts. This study provided a first ever comprehensive analysis of the print production-related software market. It sized the market for software and related services by product category and forecasted the growth of the market over the next five years.
Due to the rising importance of this market, InfoTrends has decided to turn that multi-client study into an annual market forecast deliverable. In addition to the global forecast, this market forecast provides details on the Western European market. Our outlook covers the period from 2005/2006 to 2011. Please note that additional information about the North American market is available in a separate report.
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