Question: I am downloading QuickBooks Premier, and I have to make a decision about which edition to load. Which edition is best for an ad specialty distributor?
Answer: When you purchase QuickBooks Premier, you do not have to decide which edition you want. The choice of edition to load is within the software and is a question you will face when downloading it. There are several options, and each one has a slightly different Chart of Accounts and stock reports more geared toward the edition you choose. The basic software itself is not different, but the edition is meant to help you run your type of business more easily.
Among the edition options are:
- Contractor Edition
- Retail Edition
- Manufacturing and Wholesale Edition
- Professional Services Edition
The one closest to our business as ad specialty distributors is Manufacturing and Wholesale edition. You will probably need to make adjustments to your Chart of Accounts, but the basic structure such as “sales” and “cost of goods sold” will be there already. These are elements not necessarily needed in other types of businesses such as professional services. It’s a big help in getting started.
Please email accounting questions you would like considered for the column to hgatter@accountingsupportllc.com with the subject line of "Ask the Accountant."
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- Promo Products

Harriet Gatter, owner of Accounting Support LLC, was an ad specialty distributor for 23 years and an adjunct professor of accounting at Neumann University. She sold her ad specialty business in 2012, became certified as a QuickBooks ProAdvisor, and now works exclusively with ad specialty distributors nationwide on their QuickBooks, order management and accounting needs.





