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BY MARK SMITH Judging the strength of the printed catalog market segment used to be a straight-forward proposition. Catalogers merely had to compare the total dollar value of orders placed with the cost of producing and distributing their print programs in order to determine the financial return. The rise of online shopping is beginning to skew this traditional benchmark. If a shopper initially selects items by perusing a printed catalog, but actually executes the order via a Website and online catalog, which medium gets credit for the sale? Should each get partial credit? Top 10 -- Catalog Printers   CompanySegmentSales(millions)TotalSales (millions) 1Quebecor WorldMontreal$1,071$6,300

BY MARK SMITH There may not be a one-for-one correlation between the business outlook for publishers and the fortunes of publication printers, but the link is obvious. Also, the tough business environment has marketing gurus and industry executives evangelizing the need for printers of all types to "really get to know their customers" in order to succeed. On the whole, it has been a mixed year for the magazine publishing segment. According to Publishers Information Bureau (PIB) data through September, advertising revenues in 2002 have been running 1.5 percent above 2001 totals. Unfortunately, especially for publication printers, the year-to-date ad pages total was

-- Standing Out From the Crowd BY ERIK CAGLE Remember the comic strip, "The Far Side," by Gary Larson? One particular strip from the semi-retired master of the single panel showed two cockroaches having a conversation amidst a sea of insects. One of the creatures remarks to the other, "Think about it, Ed . . . the class Insecta contains 26 orders, almost 1,000 families and over 750,000 described species—but I can't shake the feeling we're all just a bunch of bugs." There is a perception of the commercial printing industry that—despite the differing specializations, capabilities and equipment that graphic arts establishments can offer

BY ERIK CAGLE In an age when the Internet may seem to be slowly eroding the print-on-paper medium, evidence suggests that a complementary relationship is being forged between the pair. This definitely appears to be the case with the catalog industry. According to a study conducted by the Direct Marketing Association (DMA), catalog retailers were expected to generate 5 percent of their sales from the Internet this year, more than double the figure for 1998. This was among the findings made by "The DMA State of the Catalog Industry Report: 1999." "This report contains significant information about how catalogers are turning their direct marketing

BY ERIK CAGLE Even as they seem to be up to their M-3000s with jobs, catalog printers can't seem to get enough work. They're as busy as ever, yet a hunger for new applications can't be satiated. Take R.R. Donnelley & Sons, of Chicago, North America's largest commercial printer. Donnelley amassed more than $1.3 billion in catalog printing sales, yet it is developing new market niches with Select Source, which integrates catalog merchandise into specialized Internet sites. Catalogers are matched with subject-specific editorial on high-traffic Web sites. Top 10 Catalog Printers CompanySegmentSales(millions)Total Sales(millions) 1R.R. Donnelley & SonsChicago$1,309.50$4,850.00 2Quad/GraphicsPewaukee, WI$561.20$1,220.00 3Quebecor PrintingMontreal $487.20$3,480.00 4World Color PressGreenwich,

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