Milton Keynes, UK (January 18, 2001) - Lightning Source Inc.^SM, a pioneer in print-on-demand and digital fulfillment services, has identified its new production location and named a new management team to lead its UK operation. The team will be led by Malcolm Allen, serving as Managing Director and complemented by the addition of Suzanne Wilson-Higgins as Commercial Director and Frank Devine as Financial Director.

The company, based in the United States, is one of the world's leading digital fulfillment providers. By storing books and other information electronically, Lightning Source can print a book made-to-order in less than a minute and ship it within 24-48 hours. Unlike many other "on demand" providers, Lightning makes its titles available in a range of formats including hardcover and several trade paperback sizes - all with a quality second to none. This process means books need never go out of print and that many more lower-volume specialty books can be made available to the book-buying public.

"We've seen the impact that print-on-demand can have on both the publishing industry and the book retail marketplace in the U.S., and the impact in the UK is expected to be even greater," said Lightning Source Inc. President and CEO Ed Marino. "That's why we're concentrating so much talent on the establishment of our UK subsidiary."

"While it has less than half the population of the US, the UK publishes 30-percent more books each year - creating an environment ripe for high-quality print-on-demand," Marino said.  "Malcolm and his team bring the kind of seasoned publishing, technology and retail leadership that is essential to help the UK publishing community put this technology to work for them in reducing financial risk and expanding book sales."

Lightning's UK team includes expertise in publishing, technology, marketing and finance. Lightning Source UK's new Managing Director Malcolm Allen draws on more than 30 years of experience and has held senior positions with industry innovators like Kodak and Danka. While at Kodak, Allen was responsible for building a successful facility management division and expanding Kodak's outsourcing services in the United Kingdom.

"My career has revolved around helping people put digital technology to work in managing their bottom line and creating new corporate opportunities," said Allen. "Our print-on-demand services have the potential to revolutionize the publishing industry in the UK, with dramatic implications for authors, retailers and consumers."

Commercial Director Suzanne Wilson-Higgins comes to Lightning with a background in both marketing and publishing.  At Reed-Elsevier, Wilson-Higgins gained experience in publishing both books and multimedia resources.  Wilson-Higgins, who has worked in the UK since 1982, also spent five years with Blackwell Limited, where she oversaw marketing communications, electronic product development and publisher relations.  Wilson-Higgins has been working with Lightning Source as a consultant since July 2000.

Frank Devine, Lightning's new Financial Director, is also no stranger to the UK publishing industry.  He brings more than 15 years of experience in business-to-business service.  Most recently, he served as the Finance Director of information services at Blackwell's, where he was responsible for managing over £230 million in global revenues.

"Our UK team is a carefully selected mix of experts in a number of publishing and printing disciplines that are key to Lightning's business", said Lightning Source Chief Operating Officer Larry Brewster.  "We are excited to have assembled such a talented team to guide Lightning Source's new UK component as we work to expand our international reach.  I am confident that Lightning UK will build on the success of our US operations as it enables publishers and booksellers in the UK to serve their customers with high quality digital fulfillment services."

While Lightning already is delivering print-on-demand titles for its UK partners from its US headquarters and continuing to add titles to its UK library, plans for construction are under way for the company's first full-service international print-on-demand facility. Lightning's UK facility will open later this year in Milton Keynes. The 20,000-square-foot facility is part of the company's global expansion strategy, which also includes opening new facilities on the US West Coast later this year, in addition to its expanded Tennessee headquarters.

• Intentions to create first international subsidiary in the UK announced August, 2000

• Strategic alliances forged with Bertram's, the UK's largest book wholesaler

• New facility in Milton Keynes selected for first full-service print-on-demand operation

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 secure conversion, storage, management, and distribution of digital content. Lightning stores books and other information electronically and delivers them "on demand" in either traditional printed format or as eBooks in response to orders from booksellers, librarians, and publishers. Lightning Source has printed more than 1,500,000 "on demand" books for more than 800 publishers around the world. For more information, visit our website at www.lightningsource.com.