(Weymouth, MA) January 29, 2002... Print buyers continue to seek ways to more effectively create, manage, produce, and distribute business information by implementing print-on-demand strategies, taking advantage of multi-channel communication methodologies, and customizing communications for increasingly smaller audiences. Print service providers must pay close attention to this ongoing evolution, adding capabilities to their offerings to continue to meet emerging customer needs. Chief among these capabilities is the ability to conduct business 24 hours a day, seven days a week via the vehicle most convenient to the customer at any given time. Thus, implementing some form of e-business infrastructure will be critical for survival.

When determining how to implement an e-business infrastructure, a service provider must first decide which models make the most sense for the business based on existing resources and infrastructure, customer requirements, and competitive realities.

In a new report entitled Production Workflow Solutions Product Compendium: e-Business Infrastructure, CAP Ventures reviews the products most likely to be integrated into the business model of print service providers. CAP Ventures divides the e-business infrastructure for the printing industry in the primary categories of licensed software and ASP (Application Software Provider) offerings. Each product is classified into one of these categories, and then positioned relative to others within the respective categories. The vast majority of products fall within the ASP category.

"There is no question that the economics of creating, managing, producing, and distributing print are changing the way that print service providers conduct business," commented Holly Muscolino, Director of CAP Ventures' Production Workflow Solutions Consulting Service. "Understanding the products and services available to implement an effective e-business infrastructure is the key to creating a successful business strategy. Our product compendium provides a comprehensive look at these products so the print service provider can make an informed decision on how to proceed with business."

Production Workflow Solutions Product Compendium: e-Business Infrastructure   is the second in a series of product compendiums from CAP Ventures. The compendiums are a comprehensive resource for print service providers seeking information about software tools and infrastructure for printing and print-related services. 

Each compendium provides a description of the product category, focusing on those features and considerations that are of the greatest importance to print providers and the print production workflow. The documents also offer a brief description of the products within each category, a discussion of how the various products within each category are positioned in relation to each other, and vendor profiles.

The compendium is structured into 9 product categories:

1. Digital Personalization Application      
2. e-Business Infrastructure      
3. PDF Workflow      
4. Datastream Transformation      
5. Business Process Management and Control      
6. Content Technologies      
7. Preflighting, Soft Proofing, Data Mining, Color Management      
8. Data Mining and Data Cleansing      
9. Server Products and Digital Front Ends

The first six compendiums are available immediately. The final sections will be released during the first and second quarters of 2003.

To learn more about the compendiums or to make a purchase, please contact Alison Hipp at (781) 616-2100, ext. 126 or alison_hipp@infotrends.com. Special discount pricing is available for the complete set of product compendiums. Please call for rates.