Commercial Printing

Demand Grows for a Demanding Product
March 1, 2004

From prospecting to production, commercial printing takes a lot of hard work—but the results are beautifully profitable. At Apex Color, Jacksonville, Fla., commercial printing accounted for 30 percent of the work and $3.5 million in revenue last year. President Richard Ghelerter expects these figures to increase and has invested heavily in new equipment, including a five-color 20x26 press, as well as major upgrades in the pre-press department to facilitate that growth. Similarly, Andrea Pesci-Jones, executive vice president for Canton, Michigan-based Stylecraft, reported that in 2003, 25 percent of the company's orders were for commercial printing, generating $3 million in sales. Stylecraft expects that the

Divide and Conquer Commercial Print Products
January 1, 2004

How to find a comfort level in the growing commercial printing industry. Commercial print products are so diverse in scope these days that it is tough to pinpoint a precise method for marketing them properly. "Commercial printing is such a broad category that it is difficult to describe a sales formula that works for everyone," said Lindsay Gray, vice president of AccuLink (formerly AccuCopy/Quicktabs), Greenville, N.C. "You might as well ask General Mills to state the best way to market food." Gray advised distributors in this industry to "divide and conquer" commercial print products. "They need to identify the products and services they can

Feed the Need for Color Printing
November 1, 2003

The decision to provide commercial printing is often made for distributors—by customers. A successful distributor isn't likely to turn away a good piece of business and risk opening the door of opportunity for the competition—especially if the job is for an existing customer. So, in 1994, business form distributor Gary Dunlap didn't have to think twice when he was asked to provide high-end marketing materials. Actually, the president of The Venture Corporation, Lewisville, Texas, had planned to enter the commercial printing arena when he left Moore Business Forms in 1991 to establish his own company. "Because I and my salespeople always

The Beauty and the Beast in Commercial Printing
August 1, 2003

Beneath the stunning graphics and vibrant colors is a demanding product requiring knowledge, service and great pricing. What Is the most important step a distributor takes when becoming a successful commercial printing provider? Getting his or her foot in the print buyer's door. This may sound like a simple process, but Christopher D. Wells, president and CEO of Worcester, Massachusetts-based LaVigne Inc., pointed out, "Most print buyers have lost staff and support and are strapped for time. It's very difficult for distributors to get any time with a prospect unless they have a referral from a trusted source or they can offer something

Culture by Design
July 1, 2003

Cuban culture is put into focus by Stratis Print Communications Whittling down thousands of photographs into a 139-page book that depicts a compelling, focused journey through Cuba is no small feat. But Rick Lewis, president of Stratis Print Communications, Long Beach, Calif., and staff graphic designer Louis Nidorf accomplished just such a challenging task in designing Cuba: Framing Time. Comprised of photographs taken in Cuba by 18 students and two professors from Brooks Institute of Photography, Santa Barbara, Calif., the book captured Best of Show in BFL&S' 2003 Top Design contest. Where did Lewis and Nidorf begin their design process? "We started with deciding

Considering Commercial Print?
April 1, 2003

One manufacturer discusses how distributors can succeed in this growing market niche. Topping the conversations of many independent distributors these days is commercial print. Noted as a market niche with ever increasing opportunities, more distributors are seeking ways to find out how to better sell this product to their advantage. Offering some advice on this matter is Robert McAleavey, president and owner of Specialized Printed Forms, a manufacturer based in Caledonia, N.Y. Reporting an estimated $1 million in commercial print sales, McAleavey said business for this product continues to grow, since opportunities are available just about anywhere. "For instance, any market that

Competition Reigns in Commercial Print
March 20, 2003

This stable market niche held strong in 2002 amid tough competition and price wars. Here's a telling story of two men in a camp who are approached by a man-eating bear. One of the men starts to lace up his sneakers and the other man asks him, "Do you really think those sneakers are going to help you outrun the bear?" And the man answers, "I don't need to outrun the bear, I just need to outrun you." Greg Muzzillo, founder and CEO of Proforma, Cleveland, recounted that story when explaining his company's belief that competition is a much greater concern for them than

Be Commercially Distinct In Print
August 22, 2002

Distributors find that there's more than one way to sell commercial printing. While distributors agree that commercial printing is an excellent market, no two have exactly the same philosophy on how to best serve clients. However, rather than being a source of discord, this difference of opinion enables distributors to successfully conduct business in their respective niches. For example, the following four distributors attribute 25 percent to 60 percent of their sales to commercial printing and each have distinct methods of servicing clients. By the fiscal year's end all four companies grossed between $10 million and $70 million in sales last year, proving there's

Catalogs and Booklets Provide Creative Opportunity
April 17, 2002

Ingenuity plus attention to detail helps distributors land lucrative accounts. When it comes to selling catalogs, brochures and booklets, the question isn't who buys them, the question is who doesn't buy them. Serving as vehicles that market and promote business and list or display information that is pertinent to a company's sales, these items are basic necessities among end-users in any market. As such, distributors can expect them to be fairly easy to sell. The difficulty, however, lies in the way distributors present solutions to end-users that require these products. "Distributors are well suited to go after business in this arena," said Mike

Commercial Print Remains Robust
April 2, 2002

Plenty of work and wealth keeps the commercial print market strong. When it comes to paper-based products, commercial printing may be one of the most stable products in the forms industry. Ranking second only to forms in a recent survey conducted by BFL&S, commercial printing accounts for 22.3 percent of our Top 100 Distributors' sales. This is because the market for colorful, full-process print work continues to be infinite. At least, that is what several distributors, whose commercial printing sales account for a large percentage of their revenue, are saying. But will the market for commercial print remain strong? Andrew Duke, co-owner of