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Print buyer report indicates print budgets still growing

Margie Dana, widely known as the founder of Print Buyers International, has teamed up with industry consultant and researcher John Zarwan to develop a profile of today’s new print buyers. Having surveyed hundreds of professional print…

Margie Dana, widely known as the founder of Print Buyers International, has teamed up with industry consultant and researcher John Zarwan to develop a profile of today’s new print buyers. Having surveyed hundreds of professional print buyers across the country, they released the results in a 40-page report titled “The New Print Buyers: Who They Are, What They Want and What You Should Do.” 

According to the report, many companies and agencies are not only continuing to purchase printing, but they are also increasing their annual budgets. “This is an opportunity for commercial printers,” notes Zarwan, “but only if they continue to market to them.”

The report also identified several growing needs that in large part are still unmet. “An overwhelming percentage of print buyers want their print provider to offer more than ‘just print’. Printers need to realize that 20% of print buyers today have less than 10 years of experience in that role and are seeking faster, cheaper, and better ways to communicate with their client bases. Print, though still valuable, is just one tool in the communications arsenal.”

The report delves into the make-up, attitudes, work habits, and changing expectations of today’s print decision maker, addressing issues such as: what other roles print buyers play within the organization; the value of closer relationships with marketing departments; and what other corporate units are involved in sourcing print. The role of print—and the print buyer—is changing. Print buyers now may have other, sometimes more important, responsibilities.

Dana and Zarwan’s report may be purchased at http://margiedana.com/store/reports/.