Case Study PIA (Printing Industy of America)- Print Access Search Engine The Challenge The Printing Industries of America, (PIA) approached Directory Publishing Services with a unique and difficult problem. They wanted to construct an online search engine and directory containing all of their members, which is potentially every printer in the United States. This directory named, "Print Access" was to be searchable by eight different methods, easily updated, and operated by existing personnel. Adding to the difficulty of the project, information in the database created for "Print Access" was required to be exported to the printed directories PIA affiliates already produced for their members. PIA felt that "Print Access" could be the premier resource for print buyers in the U.S. creating value and profitability for members and affiliates alike. After reviewing many proposals from different firms they choose Directory Publishing Services for the job. The Printing Industries of America consists of 30 affiliates across the United States. Each affiliate has it's own local membes with an average size of 1,400. With membership totaling over 40,000, PIA is a diverse group with different levels of staffing and skill. The Solution Directory Publishing Services produced a system which exceeded all of PIA's rigid requirements. Capable of high-speed data retrieval and multi-path searching "Print Access" can be updated and maintained by existing staff with customized versions of standard office software and web browsers. It is even possible for individual members to update records from password protected web pages. PIA's affiliates are also preparing print directories using extracts from the "Print Access" database. With full implementation planned in late spring "Print Access" can be previewed at the www.pinc.org and www.piasc.org web sites.