CHICAGO, IL (October 17, 2002)–CRC Information Systems (CRC) officially unveiled the latest release of THE System’s e-commerce suite last week at Graph Expo 2002. The first graphic arts-specific e-commerce solution developed with Microsoft’s .NET technology, THE System from CRC allows printers to provide their customers with an intuitive, user-friendly Web interface for managing their printing resources. Features include the ability to submit job specifications, review quotes, manage finished goods inventories, monitor job status, track shipments, and print invoices. Most importantly, the data is available in real time and from the convenience of any Web browser. “Graph Expo gave us the opportunity to showcase the features and benefits that set CRC apart from other management software providers. Our real-world applications not only improve overall efficiencies but help strengthen the relationship between printers and their customers,” reported CRC President Erv Ratazak. CRC’s e-commerce solution begins with the e-Commercial Printing Quotation Entry module which offers a Web interface for entering specifications and is fully integrated with THE System’s Commercial Estimating module. Once the job has been created, the estimate from which the customer’s request was originally created automatically populates the job jacket with the production details and feeds scheduling with the optimal routing profiles. At the same time a job acknowledgement can be e-mailed automatically to the customer to confirm that the job has been accepted. The customer can then return to the printer’s Web site to track the job through production and shipping in real time. CRC’s e-Accounts Receivable Inquiry module closes the ecommerce workflow by allowing buyers to access their statement s on line and drill down to view and print invoices. THE System’s e-commerce functionality extends into fulfillment, and with more and more printers handling this service for their clients, a major concern shared by attendees at Graph Expo was the ability to create an efficient infrastructure to handle finished goods inventory. “CRC’s extensive fulfillment capabilities are unmatched by other software vendors,” remarked Ratazak. “Other software providers lacked the ability to manage customer-owned inventory and attendees noted that CRC’s seamless integration was the answer they were looking for.”