ALEXANDRIA, VIRGINIA –The Graphic Arts Marketing Information Service (GAMIS) of Printing Industries of America, Inc. (PIA) announced that its study North American Distribution Channels to the Printing and Publishing Industries 2001-2003 is now available for sale. This study offers valuable industry awareness regarding current and future distribution channels. The research, compiled during 2000-2001, was conducted by Richards Research, Pittsford, New York. According to the study, the graphic arts industry today is facing an unprecedented number of challenges. New digital print production capabilities, a new business and social communications infrastructure, a shifting industry structure, and an evolving base of non-traditional competitors are all well-known and often addressed issues. At the same time, the distribution channels serving the graphic arts industry are undergoing similar transformations and facing similar challenges. Although these dynamics have significant implications for the industry, these issues are seldom addressed and not well understood. This GAMIS study, North American Distribution Channels to the Printing and Publishing Industries 2001-2003, fills that gap by providing printers, vendors, and other relevant industry players with a clear perspective on these dynamics and their potential implications. Traditional supply-chain relationships are evolving into complex supply webs of interconnectivity. Just as the structure of the printing industry has been viewed as a complex, often confusing and ill-defined population of many smaller firms and a few dominant national organizations, the distribution structure of dealers, distributors, merchants, brokers, direct sales, online businesses, and retail stores is equally complex and arguably more susceptible to dramatic change than is the printers’ infrastructure. Although there are many dynamics that will play a role in shaping and redefining a new distribution arena, three primary forces will drive this evolution: margin pressures at all levels, consolidation at all levels, and an encompassing e-commerce presence. These realities are having a profound effect on distribution. New procedures, alternative channels, and next generation inventory control management systems are evolving from these pressures. Moreover, personal relationships and the thorny issue of loyalty are still driving many distribution arrangements. How will traditional as well as new supplies be sold and distributed? Who will sell them and what important services will be required? What is the future of the traditional channel structure and how important will alternative channels be? This GAMIS awareness report addresses these issues in order to provide you with the framework to assess your own position and develop your own strategic posture. North American Distribution Channels to the Printing and Publishing Industries 2001-2003, was distributed exclusively to GAMIS members in the spring, but is now available for sale. Price is $1,000 for PIA members, and $4,500 for non-PIA members. A full table of contents and ordering details can be found at www.gamis.org. For more information about GAMIS membership, contact Jackie Bland, GAMIS executive director by phoning 703/519-8179. GAMIS is a special industry group of PIA dedicated to providing its members with current, relevant market data and information on the graphic arts and related fields. The principal benefits of the organization are member-directed research studies, quarterly meetings, market research skills building, and unlimited networking opportunities.