Workhorse press showcased at recent open house and new 45,000 sq ft facility in West Chester, PA

Star Print & Mail, a high-quality commercial and envelope printing and mailing and fulfillment service firm located in West Chester, PA, recently held an open house for its vendors and customers that range along the East Coast from Virginia to Connecticut. The 100 who gathered at the new facility saw a used Heidelberg 74 20 x 29-inch six-color press with coater in action. Another new piece of equipment was an inserter for the firm’s mailing division, one of the fastest-growing parts of the business, as well as a new Halm Jet envelope press. Visitors also learned that the firm will be adding a new Canon 10000 digital press early in 2017 along with a computerized inserter and an inkjet to enlarge its mailing operation. 

Established in 1906, Star Print & Mail under the direction of the Swanson family has been experiencing strong, steady growth. To accommodate that positive progression, the firm recently moved two miles from its 18,000 sq ft facility to a new 45,000 sq ft facility giving the firm the ability to incorporate its warehouse space all under one roof for its customers. 

Al Swanson Sr., co-owner of Star Print & Mail, says that in the past year and a half, the firm has seen extremely strong growth in its mailing division reflecting a switch from advertising on the internet. Customers, he says, are purchasing smaller, more refined lists of addresses and asking his firm to personalize the mailers to entice people to open them. Getting those advertising direct mail pieces into a potential customer’s hands is proving to be an advantage for his firm. 

“We’re very proud of our business, our employees, our work ethic, and our heritage,” says Swanson “There aren’t many printing firms still around that were founded in the early 1900s. We have a very solid base of customers, some like Citadel Bank, from 1930. We have several accounts that have been with us for 25 to 30 years. We believe the Heidelberg half-size press will be key to our company’s continued growth in 2016.” 

The decision to purchase the Heidelberg Speedmaster 74 20 x 29-inch six-color press with coater was based on need for the additional speed and flexibility the half size automated press offered. Since its installment earlier this year, the press has become the workhorse for the firm providing additional automation and faster speeds. Horizons Business Solutions was a key factor in finding the right press for our company. 

“We were delighted to help Star Print & Mail purchase and install this half-size press for its expansion,” says Gerald Whitlow, executive partner at HBS. “Horizons Business Solutions offered their in-depth knowledge of the printing industry and a consultative approach, we worked with the company to better understand their vision and needs and helped to provide them with a fully-automated press to address one of the fastest growing areas of their company. It has been great to work with the Swanson family in this transaction.” 

“We were very happy doing business with Horizons Business Solutions,” says Al Swanson Sr., co-owner of Star Print & Mail. “We found the team at HBS to be extremely professional and knowledgeable and they kept their promises. When our press inspector recommended changes to the press before we bought it, HBS made those changes whereas other sellers would not.”

Swanson found HBS through an ad placed by the firm for the sale of the Heidelberg 20 x 29-inch six-color press with coater---the very press they were seeking. They traded in a direct imaging press for the Heidelberg and kept their two Heidelberg 40-inch six-color perfector presses for longer run jobs. 

“With the half-size Heidelberg press, we’re getting better quality and much faster speed and automation,” says Swanson. “It’s become our No. 1 press. We’re seeing a trend toward shorter run lengths and the smaller Direct Imaging Press was too small to handle these jobs . With the Heidelberg and its automation, we’re achieving 15 to 20 minute makereadies and print speeds up to 15,000 sheets per hour. It allows us to turn projects much faster, which helps us meet today’s demanding customer requirements.”