PARAMUS, NJ—February 14, 2001 - NAPL (The National Association for Printing Leadership) and PIA (Printing Industries of America) today announced a joint effort to develop a database of common terms and conditions of sale used in the graphic arts. The project will involve collection and review of samples of current contracts, statements, bid submissions on RFPs (Requests for Proposals), policies on intellectual property, and other terms and conditions of sale to the process as submitted by members of both associations. This project is a natural outgrowth of “Graphic Communications Trade Customs and Business Practices,” a trade practices guide developed and introduced by NAPL, PIA, and GATF (Graphic Arts Technical Foundation) in 1993.  During the next several months, a joint NAPL/PIA Task Force on Business Practices will evaluate members’ submissions and maintain the resulting database of terms and conditions of sale that are commonly used in the graphic arts industry. The information will be available on PIA’s GAIN (Graphic Arts Information Network) portal, at www.gain.org;  and on NAPL’s Web site, at www.napl.org. Data will be updated on an ongoing basis. Digital technology is changing the relationship between print buyer and print providers. Advancing digital capabilities in graphic design, prepress, and the pressroom, has confused roles that once were well-defined. This has resulted in such questions as who owns digital files, and who’s responsible when a client submits a job that includes trapped images. As technological change continues, such questions will continue to arise. The joint NAPL/PIA effort is an ongoing effort to resolve these dilemmas. “We all feel that this is a critical initiative for the industry,” commented I. Gregg Van Wert, NAPL President, “and we are delighted to be partnering with PIA. We believe the wisdom of our members will help us produce a truly meaningful and useful guide to answer many of today’s questions.” PIA President Ray Roper concurred, commenting that “Printers need guidance on the recurring issues that arise between the print provider and the print buyer. Our joint program will provide this information in a more timely, flexible format.”