Business Forms

While some forms are experiencing a serious decline in sales, others are experiencing great innovation. Form sales are not declining as much as they are changing. It's a classic example of out-with-the-old and in-with-the-new. Clearly, multi-part forms are heading for that big collator in the sky. Yet industries such as health-care, retail, insurance and education are giving birth to a whole new generation of innovative form applications. In fact, solution-oriented distributors are discovering that opportunities abound for new form designs that facilitate today's workflow systems, particularly when marketed with value-added services such as on-demand production, warehousing and distribution. To find out how

Forms distributor aren't the least bit nervous about a decline in the sales of multipart forms. Multipart forms are among the oldest of forms in this industry, but with the advent of the laser printer, they are quietly moving to the back of the line, and distributors don't seem a bit concerned. Brandt Morrell, president and COO, Altec, Laguna Hills, Calif., spares no love for the antiquated forms. In fact, he considers them to be a necessary evil that is fortunately becoming less necessary. "They used to be the only way an individual could share certain information like purchase orders and invoices with

How marketing with manufacturers can strengthen the sale. It might be sufficient to conduct thorough research, produce detailed proposals and drop off a few catalogs when selling solutions to clients. But if the expertise of manufacturers is not added into the mix, it may not be enough. When offering a complete solution sell these days, it is the teamwork between the distributor and manufacturer that can provide the extra power needed to win over large re-gional and national accounts—even ones that might have utilized directs in the past. This was just the case for Jim Constantin, product manager for Source4, Roanoke, Va., who competed

Earn a healthy client base through pain-relieving products. Offer government-approved health insurance claim forms and you gain a health-care client's attention. Offer to ease the pain of insurance claim processing and you gain a client for life. This is important advice for distributors selling to the second largest industry in the United States. With tough competition coming not only from other independent distributors but from low-bidding directs, distributors seeking success in health care should consider offering remedies to soothe some of the market's biggest headaches—insurance claims. According to Jim Magdaleno, sales manager for government-approved forms manufacturer TFP Data Systems, Oxnard, Calif., one of

Help clients save money and improve efficiency with mailer products. Communication is the key. And the key to communication is being understood. If your customers can't understand you or don't want to take the time to hack their way through the dense forest of information you've sent them, then your words are falling on deaf ears. But fear not, intrepid distributors, your savior is here—mailers. That's right, mailers. Mailers can help end-users communicate more quickly and clearly, recoup receivables faster and save money. Best of all, most of the concept work has already been done. "Mailers are a good product to offer because

Showing customers that cut sheets don't always cut costs can increase profits. Looks can be deceiving. Customers see cut sheets laser printed with black toner and automatically see it as an economical alternative to preprinted, multi-color, multi-part forms used in impact printers. And as customers are being lured away from multi-part forms by the assumed benefits of cut sheets, distributors' profit margins are being adversely affected. But according to Bill Powers, marketing manager for Carbonless Rolls at Appleton Papers, Appleton, Wis., "Distributors assessing the needs of forms users may want to encourage them to hold on to impact printers, at least for some

Software advances cause the superform of the '90s to take on multiple forms. What looked to be the super-modern form of the '90s quickly became, in a way, outdated. As software technology progressed, so did the way we relayed information. As a result, not all of the data entered into computers needs to be printed on paper. In fact, a lot of it is routed via e-mail and stored in its appropriate place. That may be why some suppliers are reluctant to call electronic forms forms at all. "The electronic form in itself hit the wall in 1998," said Bob Lachner, RxLaser, Brea, Calif.

Forms and checks printing continues to impact the industry Efficiency is the driving force behind the increasing popularity of electronic systems. Net profit increases for distributors and the ease of accessibility for large, and even mid-size, market accounts also helps. As print industry software programs become refined, more customers are placing trust in new-age technology and letting go of traditional processes. Just ask Dan Siadak, CDC, president and CEO of Lansing, Michigan-based RBF. "I see end-users embracing electronic forms much more now than even a year ago," he said. "More companies are networked and have Intranets, so electronic forms can be used more readily,

Business card production gets faster, cheaper and easier online By Sharon R. Cole and Demian Faunt IT'S NOT EASY to trace the history of the business card. Having established an almost icon status, not many people can remember a time when its appearance has deviated too far from a 2x31&Mac218;2&Mac253; slice of white, plate-stock paper. A seemingly simple construction, these handy cards were known in the printing industry for creating tedious work that reaped little reward. In fact, many manufacturers and distributors classified them as an add-on sale. But times have changed, and those in the forms business are being sold on the idea

E-forms are a value-added product about to reach the mainstream By Eric Fiedler FOR YEARS, e-forms were considered a product of the future. For many distributors, the future is now. More than three-fourths of Business Forms, Labels & Systems' Top 100 Distributors sell electronic forms, including nine of the top 10. While most of the larger companies introduced electronic form programs three to five years ago, they say the benefits are just beginning for both their clients and themselves. "People are increasingly ready to take advantage of electronic forms because they now have the necessary infrastructure in place," said Daniel Siadak, CDC, president of RBF in Lansing, Mich.