VistaPrint Ltd., an online supplier of graphic design services and customized printed products for small businesses, is going into retail stores through an alliance with OfficeMax Inc. the national office supply retail chain. Under the arrangement, OfficeMax's customers will design and order business cards, brochures and other printed material through web based terminals in all OfficeMax stores.

There are currently nearly 1,000 OfficeMax locations nationwide. The in-store terminals and the website that customers view will carry the OfficeMax ImPress brand that OfficeMax uses for printed material.

"Our customers have always been able to order business cards and stationery through OfficeMax ImPress, however, the customer could only see selections in a catalog," said Brian Norris, senior vice president for OfficeMax ImPress. "Early tests of the VistaPrint Retail Solution suggest that our customers like the application and are pleased with the quality and cost of the product."

VistaPrint designed a website for OfficeMax ImPress that streamlines the shopping process to take into account that store customers don't want to spend as much time navigating a site as does someone shopping from home or office. "We made it easier for them to get from end to end by limiting the number of choices," Mike Ewing, senior VP, global partnerships for VistaPrint, said. For instance, store shoppers have just two shipping options: seven day standard or three day premium.

VistaPrint will sell products to OfficeMax on a wholesale basis and OfficeMax will set the retail price accordingly. "OfficeMax completely controls the experience with the customer," Ewing said.

VistaPrint trained a group of OfficeMax's training managers on products and site usage. They will in turn train store personnel. The rollout is expected to be completed this fall.