MILTON KEYNES, UNITED KINGDOM - Coutts Information Services Ltd., a leading international library supplier and book retailer, has expanded its title range and services to publishers by signing as a strategic channel partner with the print on demand company Lightning Source.

The agreement gives Coutts direct ordering access to a catalogue of over 100,000 print on demand titles held at Lightning Source's UK print on demand facility in Milton Keynes. On receipt of orders, Lightning Source will print on demand and deliver to Coutts' Andover distribution centre.

Coutts joins an expanding group of Lightning Source channel partners including Amazon, Bertrams, Blackwell's, Cypher and Gardners.

"We are delighted to join Lightning Source as a new channel partner", says Andrew Free, Head of Client Services at Coutts. "We are an expanding, international company with a growing reputation for bookselling and library supply not only in the UK and North America but throughout the world. Print on demand has obvious benefits in widening our stock offering to our library supply and retail businesses as well as bringing significant benefits to our supply chain and costs. Lightning Source is a natural global partner for Coutts as we increase our customer base and supply strategy into Europe and North America."

David Taylor, Business Development Director at Lightning Source UK, comments: "Coutts is a natural fit for us. Their reach into the worlds of international library supply and bookselling will make our print on demand titles more accessible to more customers, with as short and efficient a supply chain as possible." David also adds: "This is very much the future of print on demand - the broadest market penetration possible for these books on an international scale via a growing network of channel partners. As we grow this network of retailers, library suppliers, distributors and wholesalers, our print on demand proposition to publishers becomes more compelling. Why lose sales because your book is unavailable?"

About Lightning Source
Lightning Source Inc., a subsidiary of Ingram Industries Inc., provides a comprehensive suite of digital fulfillment services. The company is revolutionizing the options available to the industry in the storage, management, and distribution of digital content. Lightning Source stores books and other information electronically and delivers them "on demand" in either traditional printed format or as e-books in response to orders from booksellers, librarians, and publishers. Lightning Source has printed more than 10,000,000 "on demand" books for more than 2,300 publishers around the world. For more information, visit our website at www.lightningsource.com.

About Coutts Information Services LTD.
Coutts Information Services Ltd., is a leading global library supplier. Its operations in the UK, Ireland, The Netherlands and North America offer integrated book supply and a wide range of services to libraries throughout the world. Services include online access to extensive book and standing order databases; search and order facilities; budgetary information on accounts and sub-accounts, and order status reports. Coutts also offers "solution" - a unique standing orders system, and "iApprove" - "Slipstream" the industry leading selection support system. Coutts has developed eBook services by working in close partnership with publishers, data providers and database hosts to enhance library collections. For more information visit www.couttsinfo.com.