Ryan Higgins of Vivid Innovations with his GFI AccuBlend-HV dispensers installed at Litho Press, a partnership that’s streamlined ink management and accelerated color delivery.

Plymouth, Ind. – While international ink suppliers dominate the packaging industry, regional specialists like Vivid Innovations continue to prove that proximity, personal attention, and technical precision can outperform size. Founded and led by Ryan Higgins in Muncie, Indiana, his company serves printers throughout Florida, Indiana, Michigan and Ohio with a blend of GFI Innovations technology, color expertise, and hands-on service that keeps production moving.

Higgins represents the new face of independent supply keeping the North American printing and packaging industry growing smarter and more connected. His formula of trust, expertise, and high touch service delivers results few large corporations can match.

“Ryan brings a level of responsiveness you just don’t find anymore,” says Justin Hiott, General Manager of Litho Press, an Indianapolis-based large format sheetfed printer which serves major corrugated packaging manufacturers. “He’s available whenever we need him, day or night, and he’s proactive about finding solutions before small issues turn into big ones. That kind of commitment makes him an extension of our team.”

A Career Built on Ink Expertise
Ryan Higgins began his career in the 1990s with Wikoff Color, where he spent nearly a decade learning ink formulation, color control, and pressroom chemistry from the ground up. He later joined Allied Chemical Company, which brought him to the Midwest to manage technical accounts and install and administer pressroom chemicals.

In 2006, he co-founded Universal Graphic Solutions. That’s where he first encountered GFI Innovations’ early-generation MX6 dispenser, a technology that would later shape his business model. By 2013, Higgins launched Vivid Innovations, focusing on providing inks, coatings, blankets and pressroom supplies to commercial and packaging printers in Indiana and Michigan.

“I started Vivid to do business differently,” Higgins says. “I wanted to combine technical knowledge with the kind of hands-on, local service that’s disappearing from our industry. My customers don’t wait for call centers or corporate approval chains. They call me directly.”

A High-Touch Business Model
Today, Vivid Innovations operates as a full-service ink and pressroom supply company offering fountain solutions, blankets, coatings, and specialty consumables. But what sets it apart is how closely Higgins embeds himself with his customers. He personally installs and maintains their GFI AccuBlend-HV dispensing systems, oversees color accuracy programs and databases, and provides on-site troubleshooting and training.

That personal involvement gives his customers access to both rapid service and a deep technical support partner.

“For me, GFI technology is the great equalizer,” Higgins explains. “It lets a small business like mine deliver the same sophistication and speed as the big ink suppliers, but with a highly personal relationship attached.”

Because he owns and maintains his network of GFI units, Higgins can place them directly in customers’ facilities without requiring long term contracts or heavy financial commitments. It’s a low risk model that has helped him win accounts from much larger competitors, while expanding his service footprint throughout the Midwest.

Empowering Printers Through Precision
Higgins now manages GFI automated ink dispensers across his network in customer plants serving high-volume printers like Litho Press, where three GFI AccuBlend-HV systems process over 1,000 pounds of ink per week. His proprietary ink library, built from thousands of tested formulations in the COLORBOOK™ software, allows for unmatched repeatability and flexibility in custom color creation.

“The difference is, Ryan doesn’t just sell us ink. He’s built an entire ecosystem around it,” says Hiott. “He helped us modernize our ink lab, optimize our proofing, and fine-tune every color we print. It’s like having a chemist, a trainer, and a service engineer rolled into one.”

Unlike large distributors, Higgins doesn’t rely on complex supply contracts to secure customer loyalty. His relationships are built entirely on performance and trust.

“I can place a GFI unit at a customer site and tell them to watch how it performs. If it doesn’t work out, I’ll take it out with no risk,’” Higgins says. “That kind of transparency builds confidence, and it opens doors that formal contracts never could.”

It’s a philosophy that aligns with GFI Innovations’ approach to partnership.

“Ryan embodies what makes our distributor network successful,” says Justin Echterling, President of GFI Innovations. “He’s technically skilled, service-minded, and understands that our success depends on helping printers succeed first. His work at Litho Press shows exactly what a GFI-equipped distributor can really do.”

Print industry data confirms what Higgins’ customers already know: small, service-oriented distributors thrive in high touch, high value niches such as regional packaging, wide-format printing, and short-run, spot color intensive specialty work. These are markets where agility and technical knowledge matter more than scale, and where relationships drive performance.

“For us, it’s not about being the biggest,” Higgins says. “It’s about being the most reliable. My customers know they can call me at any hour, and we’ll figure it out together.”

A Model for the Future
As print and packaging operations face tighter turnaround times and rising customer expectations, partnerships like the one between GFI, Vivid Innovations, and Litho Press are showing what modern collaboration can achieve when combining automation, technical mastery, and service dedication into one seamless model.

“GFI’s success,” summed up Echterling, “depends on innovators like Ryan who understand the technology, believe in it, and apply it creatively. He’s not just selling equipment. He’s enabling his customers to compete in their markets and win.”