Paterson, NJ – Needing to replace a broken down paper cutter that left only a trail of question marks when he searched the used equipment market, Print Solutions owner Paul Vartanian was at a crossroads in mid-August. On the verge of entering his busiest time of the year, he did what any good business owner would do: negotiate. The upshot was coming away with a brand new 36” PRISM® P92 cutter with a jogging system and stack lift that was installed last month by Colter & Peterson and has produced immediate, better-than-expected results. 

“I give Sean Solomon and the team at Colter & Peterson a lot of credit for their creativity. When we first started talking, I was looking for a used paper cutter,” said Vartanian, who represents second generation ownership of the print shop that opened in 1970. “We talked some more, they understood my situation and offered a creative solution. I didn’t think we could afford a new cutter but by adding so much value, it made complete sense.”

Vartanian said he didn’t want to spend good money to repair the 40-year-old Polar machine that broke. Researching the used market “was horrible,” finding many devices that were at least 15-to-20 years old with asking prices in the $20,000 to $30,000 range. “I felt like the dealers were trying to take advantage of us. And with no warranty, you wouldn’t know what you’re getting. Since C&P serviced our cutters (including a 42” Seybold Citation) for the last three years, I decided to give them a call.”

But the clock was ticking. The Englewood, New Jersey printer services Tri-State area customers. Counting non-profits, manufacturers and print brokers as customers, Vartanian’s group handles every type of business work imaginable, from newsletters, booklets, and brochures to letterhead, business cards, postcards and anything in between. After operating with only one cutter for almost three weeks, Vartanian reached a deal with C&P, with one snag to resolve.

“The machine would be delivered a week after Graph Expo ended in late September, but I couldn’t afford to wait 5-6 weeks. That’s when they got creative by offering to temporarily repair the broken Polar. They offered complete support, got it running until the PRISM arrived, and charged a nominal fee for the parts. It really helped my business at a critical time.” 

Vartanian is breathing easier since he has a new PRISM with two-year labor and one-year parts warranties. After receiving training on the jogging system and stack lift, his crew has yet to fully use both pieces. But that will soon change. 

“Some of our jobs are rather large. We have a client who needs 1-to-1.5 million 3.5” by 8.5” inserts every month,” revealed Vartanian, whose 5-day-a-week operation employs 15 people. Since the PRISM came with a Microcut® system, there were other benefits to be realized.

“It’s everything we expected and a little bit more. We’re getting used to the system and my operators were really excited after the first week. They cut 5” lifts of paper which equals 1,000 sheets. A 5” lift that used to take them 45 minutes to cut now takes 25 minutes, and it’s only going to get faster once we start using the jogger and stack lift. Some of our jobs require 125 lifts, so do the math. Bottom line, it’s all good.”