NASHVILLE, Tenn. – May 7, 2003 – (Activity-Based Costing for Printers sells for $39.95 and can be ordered online at www.pointbalance.com.) -- Point Balance Publishing, a provider of management education materials and related resources for executives in the printing, publishing, and converting industries, today announced the publication of Activity-Based Costing for Printers: An Implementation Guide written by G. David Dodd and William K. Lavelle. Activity-Based Costing for Printers is the first detailed ABC implementation guide designed exclusively to meet the needs of commercial printers. Written specifically for printers by veteran printing industry experts, Activity-Based Costing for Printers provides managers of commercial printing companies authoritative and practical guidance in the design and implementation of ABC cost management systems. “Since the late 1980s,” author David Dodd observed, “a rapidly growing number of business enterprises from a variety of industries have used activity-based costing systems to drive increased profitability and superior financial performance. But, ABC has not been widely implemented by commercial printing firms to date, primarily because of a lack of information regarding how activity-based costing can be adapted to meet the unique needs of commercial printing companies. Activity-Based Costing for Printers is designed to fill this information vacuum.” Co-author William K. Lavelle says that conditions in the printing industry are driving a growing interest in activity-based costing. “Competition in the printing industry is becoming more intense,” Lavelle noted, “and printers are responding to this increased competition by diversifying the products and services they provide. In these circumstances, it is critical that printing company managers have a clear and accurate understanding of what drives costs and profitability in their companies. ABC helps managers gain that understanding. ABC also provides support for process improvement efforts and for the effective selection and use of technology, both of which are vital to success today.” Activity-Based Costing for Printers begins by describing the powerful economic and technological forces that have brought the printing industry to a strategic inflection point and altered the competitive “rules of the game” for printers in fundamental and profound ways. The book then explains why traditional budgeted hourly rate costing systems cannot provide the kind of decision support information that today’s printing company managers need to effectively address the complex issues of a new competitive age. Activity-Based Costing for Printers thoroughly explains the principles of activity-based costing and describes the benefits that ABC can bring to commercial printers. Most importantly, the authors provide a detailed roadmap to guide printing company managers in designing and implementing ABC systems. Activity-based costing is an essential management tool for twenty-first century commercial printing enterprises, and Activity-Based Costing for Printers is a must-have resource for learning how to master it. Activity-Based Costing for Printers sells for $39.95 and can be ordered online at www.pointbalance.com.