CATALOG & MAGAZINE PRINTING OUTLOOK -- Making Every Page Count

Both of these indexes have been reporting more positive trends in terms of ad revenues, but the methodology for calculating these numbers has cast doubt on their relevancy and they don't have direct bearing on print volumes.

Rick Marcoux, president of RR Donnelley's Magazine business, points out that consumer magazines have registered slightly positive ad page growth overall since July 2002. Trade magazine ad pages, which had been lagging by comparison, began to see revitalization this September, he adds, making it a "cautious recovery" for the magazine segment as a whole.