Specifically, how many entities have business cards printed each year?

Please note, I'm not looking for market data about printers.  Rather,
I'm interested in the number of:
 - individuals
 - sole proprietorships
 - partnerships
 - and companies 
that use business cards as promotional collateral and have them
printed each year.

If possible, please break this out by printing technology:
 - Commercial offset printing
 - Digital printing
 - Desktop publishing

And type of printer:
 - Commercial printers
 - Retail print shops
 - Self-publish

I've already looked for this information in several industry
publications, and I have talked with individuals at industry
associations such as the Printing Industries of America
(http://www.printing.org) and the Graphic Arts Technical Foundation
(http://www.gatf.org).

Please do not direct me to sources that might be able to answer this. 
I need to get quantifiable estimates from verifiable sources.

Thank you very much!
Patrick

Greetings!

*** QUESTION ***

How many entities (individuals, sole proprietorships, partnerships,
companies) have business cards printed each year?  Provide
quantitative estimates from verifiable sources. If possible, brake the
numbers down by printing technology and type of printer.

*** ANSWER ***

Assumptions:

1. The number of entities that use business cards is approximately the
same as the number of entities that submit federal tax returns.
2. Both profit and non-profit organizations use business cards.
2. The IRS estimates for the number of entities that will submit tax
returns for 2002 are the best available data that can be used [11].

Based on these assumptions, the best estimates for year 2002 are as
follows:

Individuals: 20,087,800
Sole proprietorships: 3,693,800
Partnerships: 2,257,800
Companies: 5,676,600
Non-profit organizations: 748,800
Total: 32,464,800

It is estimated that there are 32,464,800 entities that have business
cards printed every year.  These estimates can be verified against
reference [6], which can be downloaded in spreadsheet format. The
other references are listed to show the documents used to clarify the
definitions of the five entities.

It was not possible to break these numbers down by printing technology
and types of printer.  Such data is not included in the FedStats
website.  There are reports in www.gain.org that may contain relevant
data (e.g., "Print Market Segment Breakout") but you must be a
PIA/GATF member in order to have access.  I was not able to find these
brakdowns (specifically for business cards) anywhere in the public
domain.

*** GLOSSARY ***

GAIN -- Graphic Arts Information Network
GATF -- Graphic Arts Technical Foundation
PIA -- Printing Industries of America
SOI -- Statistics of Income

*** REFERENCES ***

[1] Business Card Printing Guide
http://www.business-cards-guide.com/

[2] Graphic Arts Information Network
http://www.gain.org/
Note: www.printing.org and www.gatf.org have been consolidated in
www.gain.org

[3] Individual Income Tax for Individuals -- Business and Nonbusiness
Returns,
IRS Publication 17, Catalog Number 10311-G
http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p17.pdf

[4] Sole Proprietorship Tax Statistics - Farm Sole Proprietorships
http://www.irs.gov/taxstats/article/0,,id=96717,00.html

[5] Sole Proprietorship Tax Statistics - Nonfarm Sole Proprietorships
http://www.irs.gov/taxstats/article/0,,id=96754,00.html

[6] Selected Returns and Forms Filed or To Be Filed by Type, 1975-2002
SOI Bulletin, Historical Table, Summer 2002. Excel ver. 4.  October
2002.
http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-soi/02al22sr.xls

[7] Form 1065 -- U.S. Return of Partnership Income
http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-fill/f1065.pdf

[8] Form 1120 Schedule PH -- Tax Information For Corporations
http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f1120sph.pdf

[9] Form 990 -- Filing Instructions for Charities and Non-profits
http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-soi/98eopfin.pdf

[10] Federal Statistics (FedStats) Website
This is a gateway to statistics from over 100 U.S. Federal agencies
http://www.fedstats.gov/

[11] Federal Statistical Organizations' Guidelines for Ensuring and
Maximizing the Quality, Objectivity, Utility, and Integrity of
Disseminated Information.
http://www.fedstats.gov/policy/Stat-Agency-FR-June4-2002.pdf
http://www.fedstats.gov/policy/stat-agency-fr-june4.html

*** SEARCH STRATEGY ***

Basically, the search strategy was to locate data on something that
all the entities do every year -- such as, for example, submit tax
returns.  This strategy was driven by the assumption that entities
that submit tax returns usually would have business cards printed
every year.

1. Started looking for www.printing.org and www.gatf.org, found them
consolidated in www.gain.org.

2. In www.gain.org, navigated to "Industry Trends", "Industry
Statistics", and "Federal Government".

3. This took me to www.fedstats.gov, the Federal Statistics Home Page.
 I took the "links to statistics" path, and the first link led me to
an alphabetically ordered list of statistical data by topic.

4. Under "Industry Tax Statistics", five entities are listed: sole
proprietorships (broken down into two groups -- individual businesses
and other farm/non-farm sole proprietorships), partnerships,
corporations, and non-profit organizations.  I decided to add
non-profits as a fifth category of tax-paying entity, since they do
file tax returns and generally use business cards.

5. Then I searched the IRS site for each of the five entities, and
found [6].  This spreadsheet provides the required yearly data from
1975 to 2001, and projections for 2002.

*** RESEARCH SUMMARY ***

The assumptions made to answer the question are very reasonable. 
Specifically, the correlation between entities filing tax returns and
entities printing business cards is expected to be high.  On this
basis, the best estimates for the number of entities that has/will
have business cards printed during the year 2002 are as follows:

Individuals: 20,087,800
Sole proprietorships: 3,693,800
Partnerships: 2,257,800
Companies: 5,676,600
Non-profit organizations: 748,800
Total: 32,464,800

Let me know if you have any questions, or need further clarification.

Best regards,
pelican-ga

---

Request for Answer Clarification by joehumanist-ga on 24 Nov 2002 14:18 PST

Hi pelican,

Thanks for working on both of my questions.  I appreciate your time
and attention to these.

Specifically about this answer, I have to ask for some clarification.

First, you say that "correlation between entities filing tax returns
and entities printing business cards is expected to be high..."  I
have serious doubts as to whether this is true about business card
usage, much less business card printing.  Can you provide some basis
for this rather large assumption?

Second, assuming that the first point is resolved, almost 2/3 of your
estimate comprises individual tax returns.  Can you get more specific
in that category?  Perhaps those filing deductions for business
expenses (I think that's Form 1040 Schedule C)?

Thanks!
Patrick

---

Clarification of Answer by pelican-ga on 24 Nov 2002 18:57 PST

Hello , joehumanist-ga -- you have two requests for clarification:

First, you say that "correlation between entities filing tax returns
and entities printing business cards is expected to be high..."  I
have serious doubts as to whether this is true about business card
usage, much less business card printing.  Can you provide some basis
for this rather large assumption?

------------------------------------------------------
My reasoning was as follows:
1. Entities file tax returns when they are actively doing business.
2. Active entities usually need business cards.
3. Active entities run out of business cards, and need to order more.
Can you think of a better assumption to make?
-------------------------------------------------------
 
Second, assuming that the first point is resolved, almost 2/3 of your
estimate comprises individual tax returns.  Can you get more specific
in that category?  Perhaps those filing deductions for business
expenses (I think that's Form 1040 Schedule C)?

--------------------------------------------------------------
If you take a look at the spreadsheet of source data (row 10), you can
see that the number I used is the one for "individual business
returns" (1040 schedule C, or C-EZ, or F).  Check it out -- reference
[6].
--------------------------------------------------------------
Sincerely,
pelican-ga

My question was regarding the number of business cards printed each
year in the U.S.

The researcher inferred the number of business cards printed directly
from the number of tax returns.

This assumption is at least three logical steps removed from the data
point I was seeking: tax returns which may or may not correlate to
entities using business cards which may or may not correlate to
entities printing business cards each year.

I asked the researcher to clarify their answer and to provide support
for this logical leap, which they were unable to provide.

Although I appreciate the time that the researcher spent, they are
basing thier answer on an assumption that, in my view, is invalid.

Thanks for your consideration,
Patrick