Franchise Printers -- Some Franchise Players

"We have a very comprehensive program to help our franchisees acquire independents; we know how to do that profitably for our centers," Gerhardt says of Allegra Network, which reaped just under $287 million in franchise system sales in 2002. "In terms of (acquiring) other franchisors, there aren't very many of us out there anymore. There's already been a substantial amount of acquisitions. We can't count on that or predict that's going to happen, but we're certainly hopeful for that possibility."