Alexandria, Virginia-Document Management Industries Association (DMIA) recently released The Commercial Printer's Toolkit, providing a comprehensive reference for partnering with a distributor for those that are new to using distributors, or, for those that already use distributors, but want to optimize their relationships. Some of the advantages of partnering with a distributor include: - Expansion of your local customer base through the distributor's national customer base; - Decreasing or eliminating expenses associated with sales staff by replacing or supplementing your staff with the distributor's nationally-based staff; - Streamlining operations, reducing costs, and staying in-step with the latest technology, by utilizing the distributor's consulting know-how, gained from manufacturing experience and dealing with companies of diverse size, products, and capabilities; and - Increasing sales via the distributor's ability to provide "value added" services to the end-user including database management, digital printing, or mailing services. Pertinent topics covered by the Toolkit are: (1) Drafting partnering agreements that reflect your best interests as well as distributor expectations, by taking into account risk allocation, profit distribution, and competition issues; (2) Maintaining open communication with the distributor at important stages of the relationship including acknowledgement, scheduling, and shipping, in addition to periodic review of agreement specifications; (3) The significance of printer confidentiality and how it is preserved; and (4) Maximizing profitability by assessing how you conduct business with the end-user by examining expense calculations as well as estimates of price and turn-around time. For more information, please visit DMIA's website at: http://www.dmia.org