The combined companies will have something for every print buyer and even solutions for print vendors. Savvy print buyers looking for new printers can use the 58k.com public auction to get the best price on their printed projects. Print buyers looking for a better way to buy print can utilize 58k.com’s private auctions to allow their own vendors to compete for their jobs under a collaborative, automated system. Even large print buying customers can now move into a complete outsourced solution by allowing the Servador team to take over their print buying needs - responsible from creation to delivery. The combined 58k.com and Servador team offer the personal touch to bring the technology benefits full circle for a great experience and significant cost savings.

Explain the logistics of the transition - has there been any down time on the 58k.com side?

DOUG: Servador actually relocated to the 58k.com facility after signing the Letter of Intent. We have not missed a beat with our respective clients and we've been spending a lot of time in strategic planning sessions to maximize the effectiveness of this combination.

Over the past few months 58k.com has been in a holding pattern working deals, private auctions etc. - describe the volume of public auctions - up, down?

RICHARD: The public auction volume has been steady, even though we have not advertised for a while. Word of mouth and repeat business bring in 5-12 jobs a day in the U.S. and 3-5 jobs a day in Europe.

Richard - It is rumored that you will do a deal with 58k’s European location with PrintMountain since they have gained funding - Can you shed light on your plans there?

RICHARD: This is not an accurate rumor. We are working to transfer 58k's European business to Printcapacity.

What is the exact involvement of yourself with that group?

RICHARD: About two years ago we had dinner in Boston with Matt Atkinson and another guy - I think his name may have been Tony. Apart from that, we have had no involvement with the Printmountain group. Now you know the whole story.

How long did it take for you guys to do the deal?

DOUG: Over the last 6 months we got to know each other and ate lots of raw plant food together. After watching the demise of many companies in the printing industry, we thought that it would be a positive and proactive move to acquire 58k.com. They have great technology, they are local and we have been very impressed with the team. I was in the office talking to one of our Board members one evening and we decided it was time to make it happen.

RICHARD: Doug called me at home at 9:00 pm on June 22. During that call, we decided that it might be time for 58k and Servador to combine. We met at 10:30 p.m. and by midnight we worked out basic terms he and I could accept. We took less than a month to complete an enormous amount of due diligence, actively involving the Boards and investors of both companies. The logic underlying the deal was so compelling, we were all motivated to work night and day to get it done.

Richard, in your words - what do you like about this move with Servador?

RICHARD: The Servador deal accomplishes everything that is important to 58k. Our brand and technology will live and prosper. Our loyal customers are in good hands. Many of our employees have joined Servador. We like Doug, Seth and Servador's Board members. We believe that the combination of auction technology and outsourcing makes economic sense.

After the shakeout is over, I expect that two or three companies will survive in the U.S. I believe Servador/58k will make it, because Doug and his team manage it like a real business, and because they have a powerful product that meets buyers' needs. I think Printable has a good chance on the printer's side. In some form Printcafe will probably survive owing to its scale.

Why do you think others have not developed print auction technology for the market place?

RICHARD: It's too hard. 58k took two years of learning by doing, 87,000 lines of code and 5000 auctions to figure out how to specify and auction print jobs so that buyers and printers will understand what's going on. We have identified the 279 variables that go into specifying a print job, refined our interface through 1300 releases of our software, cultivated a core group of five hundred to a thousand printers that review every public job. We have a database of user ratings that weed out the buyers who want to use 58k as a free estimating system. Why would a new entrant want compete with all that?