In 1995, David Friedberg, Angela Pineiro and Brenda Lee Ridings left the world of BIG CORPORATE TECHNOPRINTING to open up a new kind of shop: one with the firepower of a successfully established family-owned printing company. They started Creative Print Services, a division of Seybert Nicholas Printing Group.

Angela Pineiro started as a proofreader and production assistant for Applied Graphics Technologies after graduating with an English degree. She learned many facets of the printing industry and left with her boss to start their own company after AGT's buying spree in the early-90s left them on shaky ground.

The company is powered by:
Photography Studio, Full design center with G-4 Macintoshes and Epson Color Printer, Digital to Plate technology, fully digital proofing systems, 3 6/C presses, including 2 40" Heidelberg Presses with in-line tower coaters, several 2/C presses and multi presses, on-site ink manufacturer, mailing and fulfillment equipment.

Angela, what industry segments do you target and tell us about your revenue.

We're looking to build market share in our key focus areas of home soft goods - window coverings, down comforters, etc. - and computer software packaging as well as with colleges and universities. We provide nearly all graphic services, including photography, design, color separation, high end multi-color printing, binding and mailing services. Creative Print Services (CPS) is a division of Seybert Nicholas Printing Group, which had about $30 million in sales in 2000.

Has CPS transitioned to mostly digital output yet?

At Seybert Nicholas, we have gone to a totally digital output. Direct-to-plate technology and high-end digital matchprint equipment have greatly reduced our need to output film, saving on the costs of last-minute changes and speeding turnaround times.

Many have cut back their staff as a result of a slowing economy. Tell us about your staff.

We hope to hire and train a new sales rep soon. CPS has hired an additional designer who helps and also handles some administrative and production responsibilities. Technologically, we've made great strides in the past two years and will now concentrate on optimizing these upgrades with further staff and systems development.

What type of relationship do you have with your suppliers?

I believe in building strong partnership relationships with my suppliers. I expect consistent quality and delivery deadlines met. I encourage my vendors to be fair in their pricing, and not to lowball me, because I hate going back to my customers with added costs at the end of a job. Once I find a good source who satisfies me and my clients' demands for quality and turnaround, I am very loyal and tend not to shop around.

In a slowing economy, many print and design firms are tempted to lower prices as a way to keep volume up. Have you experienced similar temptation?

All of a sudden, everyone is screaming about the economy, which tends to be a self-fulfilling prophecy. I have noticed a slight dip in the quantity of package inserts that are ordered. However, we have also benefited by a higher expectation of quality, which our clients have come to expect from us. This expectation has won us more business in areas like photography and point-of-purchase display graphics. Some clients are willing to pay more for the greater visual impact that top-quality full-color graphics provides.

Do you think web based workflow can help you serve your customers better?

At this point, we are using e-mail to send files, but I can see the benefit of clients being able to dip into our archives to retrieve their images, review files, etc. Often customers ask for dupe transparencies for advertising purposes, or they need low res versions of their scanned images to post on their web site. I think I would need to know what other benefits this type of software would provide.

You mentioned the reputation CPS has for quality work. Is that the primary way most companies find out about your company?

We have used our strong vendor relationships to get our foot in the door with several retailers like Sears, Shopko, Walmart, Fred Meyer and K-Mart. This type of business works mainly via referrals and has had a very positive impact on our bottom line. This past year, we hired a marketing company to help launch our web site and get us positioned in various search engines. He also recommended some trade shows and print advertising. This is a new avenue for us but we are interested in exploring marketing options besides cold calling, mass mailing and holiday gifts. Of course word-of-mouth will always be our favorite marketing method.

What type of proofing equipment do you have and do your clients require matchprint proofs?

As a graphic design and printing company, we have two levels of proofing. On the design end, I started out as a proofreader, so I proofread everything that our designer produces and then we output a color print on our Epson printer or we send a PDF or JPEG file via email to our client.

Before we go to press, we show digital matchprints and Sherpa color blueprints. Many of our clients sign off at the design stage and have us review and approve both the loose and composed matchprints for color and copy. For others, like Folia, for whom we produce all of the Ralph Lauren Home wallpaper books, we present to them all of the loose and composed proofs.

Of our nearly 25000 members, PrintPlanet.com has 4,051 (as of today) subscribers who classify themselves as print buyers. From the design perspective, what would you say to these professionals?

Definitely speak to your printer about the most economical ways to design and lay out your work before it's been presented for final approval to the end user. Know your budget and don't be afraid to tell your printer where he or she needs to be. They'll let you know if your expectations are unrealistic and if they are knowledgeable, they'll offer cost-effective alternatives.

Another suggestion is to get a preliminary quote but then requote the job when all of the specifications are final. Nobody likes surprises at the end of a job. Finally, be as reasonable as you possibly can as often as you can. Not every job should be a drop-dead rush at a rock-bottom price. Your printer is in business to make you happy, but also, to make a living. You don't want to make them choose between the two every time you call on them. Build loyalty and trust by being fair and your printer will jump through hoops for you when you need it most.

You mentioned before that your marketing firm has suggested exhibiting at trade shows. Why have you been reluctant to do so?

My biggest concern would be how to differentiate my company in a sea of other printers. My customers know the difference because they've experienced it. Would someone walking up to a booth at a trade show be convinced to give us a shot based on how attractive our giveaways are?

What trade magazines do you read?

We subscribe to Printing Impressions, Printing News, Home Textile News for info on our target market and some smaller hardware oriented mags. I enjoy reading the company profile articles, and the columns that deal with prepress production, sales & marketing and printing. We've had some success with the "Help Wanted" classifieds and of course, the annual compilation lists.


Angela, Thank you very much for your time.