Print Solutions Magazine, February 2004 -- 433 E. Monroe

Seize New Ideas, New Opportunities

One of our goals at Print Solutions is to constantly look for fresh ideas and opportunities that can help improve your business. This issue is packed with articles on new topics to help you expand your product offerings, offer value-added services, implement sales ideas, refine existing strategies, gain clients and make profits.

For the first time, we're dedicating cover-story space to the rapidly expanding fulfillment market. Fulfillment is an excellent example of ways distributors and manufacturers emphasize adding value instead of selling products. This month's cover story, "The Path to Fulfillment," beginning on page 46, features five distributors, a manufacturer and a consultant with solid experience in fulfillment services. They discuss what it takes to succeed in the highly competitive market. We hope you follow their nine guidelines to creating a profitable fulfillment operation.

Also, for the first time, we're including a feature article about large-format printing. The story, "A Big, Bold Market," beginning on page 62, reveals that large-format printing is a huge market with big profit potential for distributors. The worldwide retail value of large-format printing reached $19 billion in 2002 and will grow to nearly $30 billion by 2007. We hope the article can help you find ways to succeed in this market.

Beginning this month, we're introducing a new department called Supplier Focus. We want to increase and improve our editorial coverage of companies selling printing equipment, paper, ink and other supplies. The department will feature ways suppliers are capitalizing on sales opportunities, partnering with customers and overcoming challenges. The debut piece, beginning on page 74, is about growth in the radio frequency identification market. For a list of some key industry suppliers and their offerings, turn to Suppliers Buyers' Guide beginning on page 22.

As you likely know, DMIA is working with several manufacturers, suppliers and software vendors to develop a common communication standard for seamless end-to-end e-commerce in the printing industry. Read "XML/PrintTalk®: An Update" on page 76 to find out the latest news about the project and how it can help your business.

As you read this issue, we hope you find solid ideas. But ideas don't generate business unless you're ready to implement them. We're featuring new opportunities, and we hope you capitalize on them.

Preeti Vasishtha

Assistant Editor

pvasishtha@PSDA.org

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Table of Contents

Editor in Chief

Peter L. Colaianni, CAE

Vice President,
Publications & New Media

Brad Holt

Managing Editor

Darin Painter
Assistant Managing Editor
Kara Carpenter

Assistant Editor

Preeti Vasishtha

Art Director/
Production Manager

Roxanne Rash

Advertising Coordinator

Curtessa Pennington

Contributing Editors

Dick Gorelick

Dennis McGarry, CDC

Phil Schmidt

Publications Committee

Dan Swagler, Chairperson
Bob Bell
Jeff Long
Geoffrey Nelson
Tom Nelson
Gail O'Roke, CDC
Geo Plumberg
Ivars Sarkans
Louann Siebert
George Smith, CDC
Bob Talion
Steve Wakefield
Dave Wandling, CDC

Advertising Sales

Print Solutions Magazine
Advertising Department

433 E. Monroe Ave.

Alexandria, VA 22301-1693

(800) 336-4641

Fax: (703) 549-4966

bholt@printsolutionsmag.com

Print Solutions Online

Print Solutions, the only industry magazine to win awards for writing and design excellence, is available online at www.printsolutionsmag.com. The site includes daily news, a comprehensive archive of Print Solutions articles, a complete media kit, links to industry companies and other features not included in the magazine.

Print Solutions is the official publication of the Print Services & Distribution Association (PSDA), the Association for Business Printing Independents. Unsolicited manuscripts are welcome. Please address all submissions to: The Editor, Print Solutions Magazine, 433 E. Monroe Ave., Alexandria, VA 22301-1693. Phone (703) 836-6232, fax (703) 549-4966. You can reach us via email at bholt@printsolutionsmag.com. Visit our World Wide Web site at www.printsolutionsmag.com.

Volume 42, Number 2, February 2004. Print Solutions (USPS 205-400, ISSN 1535-9727) is published monthly by DMIA, 433 E. Monroe Ave., Alexandria, VA 22301-1693, (703) 836-6232. Subscriptions: $29 per year for DMIA members included in dues, $49 for non-members (plus postage for Canada and foreign). Periodicals postage paid at Alexandria, VA, and additional mailing offices.

Postmaster: Send address changes to Print Solutions, 433 E. Monroe Ave., Alexandria, VA 22301-1693.

Statements of fact and opinion are the responsibility of the authors alone and do not imply approval on the part of the Publications Committee, Officers or Membership of DMIA.

Printed in the USA.