MINNEAPOLIS and ATLANTA, March 19, 2001—Four51, Inc. and TopForm Software Inc. announced today their intention to pursue systems interoperability between Four51 and TopForm Software. Four51, the leading e-solution provider to the print materials marketplace’s independent distribution channel, enables print materials distributors, their customers, and their suppliers, to place, process, and manage orders in a standardized format in a secure online environment. TopForm software offers independent distributors back-office accounting functionality, including order entry, sales accounting, stock inventory, print management, accounts payable, general ledger and integrated e-business solutions. “Most TopForm customers are very large distributors with high transaction volumes,” said TopForm’s Julie Pritchard. “They are critically concerned with efficiency. Enabling Four51 and TopForm to interoperate extends our already comprehensive offerings, and gives our mutual customers a truly powerful solution that serves their own needs, as well as their customers’ and their suppliers’ needs. We are partnering with Four51 to help our customers continue to improve their efficiency and to provide them with the technology to have the best that both Four51 and TopForm have to offer.” Both companies aspire to provide distributors, their customers, and their suppliers with substantial process automation and cost efficiency capabilities. By passing transactional data back-and-forth between Four51 and TopForm, distributors will gain immediate benefit. No longer will distributors be required to re-key order information from one system into another, which could result in as much as a 85 percent reduction in per-order order processing costs and per-order throughput. Under the terms of the agreement, TopForm will develop XML middleware to link their WebEC solution to Four51 via Four51’s WildFireSM XML transport module. Once linked, distributors who use Four51 will send inbound orders and order attachments to TopForm via WebEC. These orders and attachments will pass directly into TopForm.