(Weymouth , MA) May 13, 2003…CAP Ventures, Inc., the leading worldwide strategic consulting firm for the document technology industry, today announced the completion of a new multi-client study entitled The Future of Paper. 

“20 years from now, millions of people will still receive daily newspapers on their front steps, read printed books and magazines, browse catalogs, receive bills in the mail, and print reports, spreadsheets, and presentations,” commented Jeff Hayes, a Director at CAP Ventures. “However, the reality is the market for printing and writing paper is mature and growth rates are slowing. In fact, CAP Ventures forecasts by the year 2021, the compound annual growth rate will be less than 1% per year.”

The principal reason for this slowdown is change in behavior, which is driven by technological advances. Consumers, office workers, and publishers are changing their behavior in terms of how they view, communicate, collaborate, process, promote, and store information. In virtually all cases, the trend is to move towards more electronic delivery and less paper delivery.

Despite the overall decline in the rate of growth for paper, there are many differences by application category (e.g. books, direct mail, bills & statements) and shifts occurring in where documents are printed, with what types of devices they are printed, and on what types of paper they are printed.

Paper manufacturers and printing equipment vendors face important decisions about their core business and company assets. CAP Ventures believes that individual companies need to seriously consider diversifying into additional lines of business that provide new long-term growth opportunities or risk being disintermediated from the broader market. 

This 400-page study provides a comprehensive assessment of U.S. paper consumption by key grades, end-use applications, and print environments. It includes extensive research with over 1,100 consumers, publishers, direct marketers, office managers, and print providers. 

Key aspects of the study include:

• Assessment of technology development and adoption trends  (display, communications, storage, printing) 
• Analysis of underlying demographic and economic trends 
• Research on end-user behavior, preferences, and perceptions on the use of paper 
• Estimates on use of print and electronic media by 12 major applications        
• A 20-year demand forecast for paper by grades, applications, and environments (print for pay, office, home)       
• Strategic implications on production capacity, market focus, distribution, and other factors

The complete multi-client study is available immediately. To learn more about the study or to make a purchase, please contact Scott Phinney at , ext. 123 or .