(Weymouth,  MA) April 8, 2003…To understand the adoption of e-Print Infrastructure in the U.S. and to size the e-print solutions market, CAP Ventures conducted a series of surveys with print buyers and print providers about their current and planned use of the Web for print and print-related services. According to the report, both groups expect to make significant increases in their use of Web-based solutions over the coming years. The results of this study are available immediately in the CAP Ventures research report entitled The U.S. e-Print Infrastructure Market.  

CAP Ventures defines e-Print Infrastructure as hardware, software, and related services delivered via a licensing or application service provider (ASP) model that enables print buyers to procure printing and print-related services via the Internet. These services might include job specification, RFQ, job submission, ordering print, job tracking, and customer service. They may be buy-side focused or supplier focused, and may include such tools as auctions, e-catalogs, collaborative tools, and document repositories.

CAP Ventures estimates that the size of the e-print infrastructure market in the United States during 2002 was just under $100 million. Analysts expect the market to grow from $100 million in 2002 to over $260 million in 2006, representing a CAGR (compound annual growth rate) of 23%. The market offers considerable growth potential as e-print solutions continue to make their way into the mainstream of print production.

CAP Ventures examines the e-print infrastructure market through several different approaches:

• Within the introductory section, the report reviews high-level e-print infrastructure trends based on the announcements, news, and events of the past 12 to 24 months, as well as CAP Ventures’ own industry knowledge. Market sizing is also included.  
• The second section of this document presents the results of surveys conducted with print buyers and print providers on their current and planned use of the Web for print and print-related services, and current and planned expenditures for e-print infrastructure.  
• The final section presents the results of interviews with a number of print service providers who have deployed catalog-based print procurement solutions for their customers.

“The e-print infrastructure market is a young, immature market that is populated by early adopters. It offers considerable growth potential as these solutions continue to make their way into the mainstream of print production,” explains Holly Muscolino, Director of CAP Ventures’ Production Workflow Solutions Service. “Nevertheless, this is not a market of point solutions. Instead, e-print infrastructure is the thread that will weave together the business systems and production solutions of the print value chain of the future. This value chain will be dependent on other key technologies such as content management, variable data, PDF workflow, and color digital printing. We believe that solutions vendors who recognize this and offer interoperable solutions that embrace industry standards will have the greatest opportunity for success.”

The complete research report is available immediately to clients of CAP Ventures’ Production Workflow Solutions Consulting Service. To learn more about the report or to make a purchase, please contact Alison Hipp at (781) 616-2100, ext. 126 or via e-mail at  alison_hipp@infotrends.com.