VISION 21 -- New Study from PIA -- Provides Forecast of Macroeconomic and Business Structure of Printing Industry.

Business Editors

ALEXANDRIA, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 22, 2000

Study to be released at "VISION 21: The Results" conference to

be held by PIA/GATF at Chicago O'Hare Hilton, Chicago,

Illinois on October 26-27, 2000

Printing Industries of America, Inc., the largest trade association serving the U.S. graphic-arts industry, has announced completion of an eight-month study of the major trends that will define the dynamics of the printing industry during the coming decade. Entitled VISION 21: The Printing Industry Redefined for the 21st Century, the study will present projections along with in-depth analysis for:

-- The macroeconomic environment facing North American graphic communications
firms, their suppliers and customers over the next 3-10 years

-- Trends and the economic structure of the North American graphic
communications industry in 2003 and 2006, including mergers and acquisitions
and changes in firm size and profitability

-- End-markets for printed products and services along with growth assessments
for industry segments such as packaging, magazines, books, catalogs, etc.

-- Threats and opportunities for various sizes and types of printing firms
during the next three to ten years

-- Anticipated changes in operating environments, with an analysis of industry
suppliers and the impact on suppliers from projected changes to their
customers' operating environment, including e-commerce

The study was conducted by PIA in association with one of the nation's premiere economic-analysis firms, Standard & Poors/DRI (the business, economics and public-policy analysis consulting unit of McGraw Hill, Inc,) and marchFIRST, a prominent Internet professional services firm formed by the merger of Whitman-Hart and US/Web CKS.

Designed to Enhance Executive Decision Making

PIA's two previous future studies, 1990's PRINTING 2000, which accurately projected the fundamental changes in the printing industry that occurred during the last decade, and 1994's Bridging to a Digital Future, which predicted the impact of digital technology on the industry, have proven to be landmark reports for executives. Says PIA's Ron Davis, chief economist and project-manager member of the VISION 21 task force:

"Unlike our previous reports, this study is not just a broad look, 3-6 years out and beyond, as to where the industry is going but it also has a narrow focus: how economic factors and technology, including equipment evolution and the Internet, will affect the operating environments of printers."

To make the study an even more useful tool for executives, VISION 21 includes a management guide that summarizes the report's implications for business strategy and the managerial decisions required to ensure success during the next few years.

"The management guide," adds Davis, "was included to help CEOs and business owners make sense of the study's findings. It specifically describes what they need to do now; how to audit their businesses and prepare for the future."

Cost of the 200-page-plus study is $69 for PIA members ($199, non-members). A special one-day conference, "VISION 21, The Results," will present the findings of the study and their impact on business decision- making at the Chicago O'Hare Hilton (second floor), Chicago, Illinois, Oct 27, 2000. Cost to attend the conference is $295 for PIA/GATF members ($595, non-members).

To register for the VISION 21 study and conference write, fax, or call: Amy Bowland, PIA, Inc., 100 Dangerfield Road, Alexandria, VA 22314. TEL: [phone]. FAX: [phone]. E-mail: [e-mail]

Additional Background for the Press

Oversight for the VISION 21: The Printing Industry Redefined for the 21st Century, research project was provided by PIA's Futures-Study Task Force chaired by David Hart of Hart Graphics, Austin, Texas. Other printing industry executives on the task force include William Rellar, Sr. of RPI Graphic Data Solutions, Cincinnati, OH; Howard Webber of Cohber Press, Rochester, NY and Wallace Stettenius for nearby Cadmus Communications, Richmond, VA. Mr. Stettenius previously served as Co-Chair of the 1990 Printing 2000 and 1994 Bridging to a Digital Future studies.

Additional PIA VISION 21 task force members included Ray Roper, President of PIA; Mary Garnett, Director of Education and Training; Tom Basore, Executive Director of the Web Association; and Jacqueline Bland, Executive Director of GAMIS (Graphic Arts Marketing Information Service).

The study was sponsored by Heidelberg, Sun Chemical, Kodak Polychrome, Georgia Pacific, and Impresse. Representing the study's four industry sponsors were Martin J. Paul and William Bormann, Sun Chemical; Jim Miller, Georgia Pacific; Jack Hobby, Heidelberg; Kevin Clifford, Kodak Polychrome; Bill Lavelle, Impresse; Michael Streibig, President of Printing Association of Florida, Inc. (representing PIA Affiliates); and George Ryan, President of the Graphic Arts Technical Foundation. Neil Richards of Richards Research, Rochester. NY, and former Director of North American Business Research for Eastman Kodak, served as a special consultant to the Task Force.