Data Forms

In contemporary society, almost everything we do, we do electronically. Instead of letters, we send e-mail; instead of meetings, we have Web conferences; and instead of playing a pick-up game of football, we fire up the latest video game system. Because we are living in an immaterial world, what’s a material girl—or guy—to do? Statistics show individuals are choosing to step away from their computer-driven lifestyles, even if it’s only for a few days out of the calendar year. Sitting on a couch, controlling a digital game of beach volleyball in the Caribbean doesn’t quite live up to the real thing, so resorts and

Rank: 1 Company: WorkflowOne, Dayton, Ohio Sales $(000): 1,000,000 Principal Officer(s): Greg Mosher, Chairman, CEO Locations: 150 Rank: 2 Company: Proforma, Cleveland Sales $(000): 293,000 Principal Officer(s): Greg Muzzillo, Founder, Co-CEO; Vera Muzzillo, Co-CEO Locations: 650 Rank: 3 Company: American Solutions for Business, Glenwood, Minn. Sales $(000): 239,776 Principal Officer(s): Larry Zavadil, President Locations: 410 Rank: 4 Company: GBS, North Canton, Ohio Sales $(000): 90,143 Principal Officer(s): Eugene Calabria, President, CEO Locations: 12 Rank: 5 Company: Merrill Corp., Monroe, Wash. Sales $(000): 83,950 Principal Officer(s): Mark Rossi, President Locations: 6 Rank: 6 Company: The Shamrock Companies, Westlake, Ohio Sales

Distributors stick with labels to lick market woes. The birth of modern labeling technology can be traced back to the 1700s, when labels began appearing on Guinness bottled ale and stout in Ireland, and on wine and liqueur produced in France. Eventually, canned food processing caused label usage to soar. In the 1920s, 3M developed masking and cellophane tape, which resulted in various pressure-sensitive applications, and universal product codes introduced in the late '70s spawned a multitude of bar-coded label solutions. Clearly, labels are one traditional product group that is thriving in our information-crazed, technology-obsessed society. Here, four executives discuss the impact of

A panel discusses the advantages, disadvantages and the necessity for value-added services. For many years the job of distributors in the forms industry was to package, ship and deliver forms. By forms we mean those that are basic, tangible, paper-based and traditional. Today, however, the expectation of the distributor is to provide more than forms. End-users are looking for solutions to help them streamline their forms operations. In addition, as more businesses use the Internet, they're demanding special amenities to ensure the efficiency of electronic services. In fact, BFL&S recently conducted a survey to find out what distributors are doing these days to maintain