There is a 'total business solution' package on the market called "Netsuite".
The ERP (Enterprise resource planning) software package integrates:
Financials, order, inventory, purchasing, time & billing.
We are a small mail order printing company business based in CA with
about 20 employees. We have heard about Netsuite and are interested in
this type of product. However, Netsuite is suitable for companies of
about 500+ employees. My concern is that the Netsuite package is like
"using a cannon to kill an ant" for the size of our business. My
question is: What other more affordable packages on the market are
there similar to the functions of Netsuite for smaller businesses?

Hello Michael

There are a number of similar packages on the market that may be of
interest to you.  When I am researching these types of question I
always like to consider "open source" software first (and if these are
not sufficient for the customer to then consider other options).  This
type of software is usually free (or minimal cost) with good support
and regular bug fixes.

As your needs appear to be based mainly on the ERP side of your
business I would suggest that you look at the following packages. 
They are listed in no particular order and the text that follows the
title is taken directly from their websites (so beware of any hype!).

1) Compiere
"Compiere is the #1 Open Source ERP software application with fully
integrated CRM software solutions. Compiere provides a comprehensive
solution for small-to-medium sized enterprises (SME) in distribution
and service on a global basis and covers all areas from customer
management and supply chain to accounting. Quite a few benefits come
automatically with Open Source environment, but Compiere has
significant product benefits over its traditional, older competition.
Compiere is Open Source software and by definition is free. Training,
support and documentation are available as extras if you ever need
them. This invaluable business application is easy to install and
implement. In just a few hours, you?ll be able to send invoices
hassle-free!  No functionality compromises nor irreversible
implementation time decisions."
http://www.compiere.org/

2) WebERP+
"Comes fully equipped with all the attachments required to process
multi-currency accounts receivable, multi-location inventory,
multi-currency accounts payable, as well as bank accounts and general
accounting."
http://web-erp.sourceforge.net/

3) Tutos
"TUTOS is a tool to manage the the organizational needs of small
groups, teams, departments."
http://www.tutos.org/homepage/about.html

4) eGroupWare
"eGroupWare is many things. It is a very flexible pluggable framework
capable of hosting applications like a group calendar, AddressBook,
Email, accounting ledger, inventory, and whatever else your can think
of. These applications can share a common user store, and a flexible
Access Control List (ACL) system to control access and information
sharing."
http://www.egroupware.org

As all of these packages are free and you have complete control over
the actual coding of the software it allows you to customise them to
exactly how you wish them to be.  With commercial solutions this is
usually not the case and you have to "make do" with the solutions they
provide.

Without any real knowledge of what exactly you require and the skills
of your computer support staff I would probably recommend taking a
serious look at Compiere.  It is the most established of the packages
available and appears to be the most professional with the option of
paying for support.

As a quick summary of some of the commercial ERP software available
this is a reasonably good guide:
http://knowledgestorm.techtarget.com/searchexchange/search/keyword/Comparison%20Erp%20Software/Comparison%20Erp%20Software

If you require any further information on this subject please ask for
clarification and I will do my best to help.

If you do require some more information I would be grateful if you
could give some exact details of your requirements that the software
should have, the computer system it should run on and the maximum cost
you would consider.

I suggest you use old fashion ledger books for as much of your book
keeping as possible. Labor costs may be a bit higher, but chances of
data loss are reduced and you don't need a computer geek every few
days to deal with glitches and explain the degree of reliability of
your conclusions.  Neil

Selecting the "right" ERP / accounting system for your business is
dependant on a lot of different issues many of which are unique to
your business. There are literally hundreds of ERP / accounting
systems to choose from. In addition, there are hundreds of providers
who sell those systems. The problem comes in trying to decipher which
systems to review and not waste time with systems that don't do what
you need or have too small of a capacity or is too expensive to
purchase.

You might want to look at http://www.findaccountingsoftware.com/ This
web site has tons of information on thousands of ERP / accounting
software programs and applications. You can search by application,
vendor, location, industry, etc. They are independant and are not
affiliated with any specific software provider. Also provided is a
free service where you fill out a form and talk to a representative at
the firm to clarify your needs. They then email (without your name or
company ) your project needs to vendors who are likely able to satisfy
your needs.

The phone interview covers many of the features you'll likely need in
the software you might choose. That way you'll be more likely to make
a selection that you can continue using longer because the selection
is more fitting to your business.