Services

Conventional Offset Printing
Offset Printing is the printing method of choice when larger quantities are needed. Print professionals would say that offset printing’s quality is better than digital printing; however, it could appear identical to the untrained eye. In short, we use big giant machines as big as a train engine that have several roller gizmos that squeeze out ink on to printing plates, then to another single roller gizmo and finally onto paper.

UV Offset Printing
Just like conventional offset printing but using ultraviolet high-speed lamps to cure the ink and coating. In technical terms, after the roller gizmo puts the ink onto paper, the sheets quickly fly through a tanning booth type gadget to dry.

Digital Printing
Digital Printing is the go-to for smaller quantity print jobs, same day (cRaZy faSt), and variable data. This machine is more like the size of a four-person tandem bicycle instead of a train engine. We’re not really sure how this machine works, but we believe lasers are involved to spray powder onto a rubber thingamajig that then bonds to the paper. Basically, this machine is a really big color copier, but don’t tell our “digital press” salesman we said that.

Large Format Printing
Large Format Printing is a printing process used for large Banners, Signs, Posters, Trade Show Materials, Step and Repeat Backdrops and more. A large format printer prints on large rolls of paper to more than 15 feet in width or huge sheets up to 5 feet by 10 feet in size. These printers typically use inkjet technology to print. To summarize, it’s just like that desktop printer you use to print photos of your beach vacations, kids on the first day of school, or cats dressed up for Halloween, but much much much bigger!

Envelope Printing
We can print on one side or both sides of standard envelope sizes, in full color or just black ink. Our envelope printer uses a high-speed inkjet technology called Memjet which has thousands of little inkjet fairies to make envelopes print really fast. Envelopes are pieces of paper folded together to make a paper container that holds other pieces of paper that you can give to a postal worker who then can physically deliver to someone on your behalf.

Variable Data Printing
Variable Data Printing is a form of digital printing in which elements such as text, graphics, numbering, bar codes, and images may be changed from one printed piece to the next in the same print run. This can’t be done using traditional offset printing since there would have to be a new plate made of each sheet of paper, but blah blah blah, it’s a really nifty thing that’s revolutionized the printing industry. But seriously, this can be done with Digital Printing, Large Format Printing, or Envelope Printing.

Foil Printing
We have machines that bond metallic foil to paper in order to enhance the aesthetic of the final product. Some of our available foil colors are; silver, gold, copper, red, green, blue, pink, orange, dark blue, glitter holographic and rose gold. All of our foil print jobs come with a lamination of your choice; soft touch or matte. This is not the same foil you would use to cover the top of your baked mostaccioli before putting in the oven, but the silver foil does look similar!

Plastic Printing
Most of our machines have the capability to print on plastic. Common items printed on plastic are membership cards or restaurant menus. Many of the ‘other guys” out there can’t do this, but we’re just that cool, that yes, we can print on plastic. We’re talking about plastic sheets here, not the plastic used to make action figures or dolls.

Custom Printing
If you don’t see the paper stock or substrate that you are looking for on our site, please contact us for a custom quote. In most cases we will get back to you with a price quote on the same business day. We invented paper over 2,000 years ago and there has been quite a bit of different kinds of paper made since, so we couldn’t fit them all on our website. Maybe someday we’ll have enough server doodads to put them on our site. We didn’t really invent paper; it was some guy we don’t know a long time ago that didn’t even work here.

Creative Services and Graphic Design
Whether it’s an edgy modern design, corporate look, touch up, or quirky illustration, our design department can quickly turn your ideas into reality. We offer design for any of our printed product as well as social media and email marketing. Starting a new company or brand? Let us design your logo. Check out some of our work on our design page.

Coating
We have both inline and offline coating capabilities for both UV and aqueous coatings. UV coating will resist imprinting so postcards, for instance, are commonly either addressed before coating, coated on only one side, or coated with an aqueous coating. Aqueous coatings do not resist additional imprinting. Coating is basically a clear liquid that is applied after printing similar to, but not to be confused with lamination. Think of it as icing on the cake!

Gloss UV Coating – Gloss UV Coating is a High Gloss, clear-coating applied after printing. This coating should not be confused with lamination but can be as glossy.

Gloss Aqueous Coating – Gloss Aqueous is a clear, water-based gloss coating applied after printing. This option is less glossy than Gloss UV.

Matte UV Coating – Matte UV is a flat satin finish that doesn’t show fingerprints and makes colors appear more vibrant. Matte UV will have a gritty feel in comparison to a Matte Aqueous which will feel smoother.

Matte Aqueous Coating – Matte Aqueous is a clear, water-based matte coating applied after printing. Matte Aqueous will have a smooth feel unlike Matte UV which will feel gritty.

Spot UV Coating – Gloss UV can be applied on spot locations of the paper. Spot UV printed pieces have UV gloss in “Spots” and No Coating where there is no Spot UV.

Lamination – Laminated printing refers to printed pieces that have a clear plastic film bonded to them and is to note be confused with Coating. Printing is laminated to protect it from stains and moisture, to increase its strength and durability, and to add sheen and vibrancy to its ink colors. Lamination makes printed documents look more finished and professional. Your old library card or drivers license probably had lamination on it back in the day.

Soft Touch Lamination – Soft touch lamination adds a velvety-soft feel to print materials.

Matte Lamination – Matte lamination is very smooth without shine.

Gloss Lamination – Gloss lamination is very shiny but will also so fingerprints.

Rigid Sealed Edge Lamination – Rigid refers to a thicker lamination that you are unable to easily bend or be forced out of shape.. Sealed Edge Lamination extends beyond the edge of the printed piece to provide maximum protection from moisture and other contaminants.

Rigid Flush Cut Lamination – Rigid refers to a thicker lamination that you are unable to easily bend or be forced out of shape. Flush Cut refers to lamination that is trimmed even with the edge of the printed piece.

Folding Services

Trifold – A Trifold is folded into 3 sections along two parallel creases. Common sizes for trifolds are 8.5” x 11”, 8.5” x 14”, 11” x 17” or 11” x 25.5”

Z Fold – A Z-fold is a folding method that uses two parallel folds to create three panels (6-front and back) of equal size. The folds are made in opposite directions, which forms a shape of the letter Z if you look at it from above. The Z-fold method is commonly used for brochures, flyers and letters.

Half Fold – Half-fold brochures, also known also as bi-fold brochures, have one fold in the center of the printed piece.

Double Parallel Fold – A double parallel fold is constructed by folding a sheet of paper in half, and then in half once again. Common sizes for double parallel folds are 8.5” x 11”, 8.5” x 14”, 11” x 17” or 11” x 25.5”

Double Parallel Reverse Fold – A double parallel reverse fold is the same as a regular double parallel fold but will open on the opposite side.

Gate Fold – A Gatefold is a folding method that uses two parallel folds to create 3 panels (6 panels for front and back) The left and right panels are around one half the width of the center panels and fold inward to meet in the middle resembling a “GATE” and not overlapping.

Double-Gate Fold – A double-gate fold brochure is constructed by folding a sheet of paper on each side, creating two side panels that open like doors or gates, and then folding the sheet in half. Common sizes for Double-Gate Folds are 8.5” x 14”, 11” x 17” or 11” x 25.5”

Roll Fold – A Roll fold is where each panel “Rolls” inwards into itself, like a spiral.

Accordion Fold – An Accordion Fold consists of alternating folds to create multiple panels that resemble the mid-section of an Accordion musical instrument.

Half Fold then Half Fold – Also known as Double Parallel Fold

Half Fold then Trifold – Also known as the Triple Lindy.

Signature Folding – Signature Folding refers to a group of pages printed on both sides of a sheet that once folded, trimmed, bound and cut, become a specific number of pages. For example, if you took a 17”x22” sheet folded it in half twice, trimmed it and stapled it, it would make an 8 page 8.5×11 booklet.

Binding Services

Saddle Stitching – Saddle Stitching is our most popular booklet binding method in which folded sheets are gathered together one inside the other and stitched with wire. These would more commonly look like staples inside a booklet, but can assure you, we are not using a Swingline stapler to put these books together one at a time by hand.

Perfect Binding – Perfect Binding is a commonly used soft cover book binding method. With the perfect binding method, the pages and cover are glued together at the spine with a strong yet flexible thermal glue. They have a square, printed spine and the cover is usually made from paper or card stock that is heavier than the interior pages. This is the same way a phone book is bound. Do you remember those?

Coil Binding – Coil binding, also known as spiral binding, is a commonly used book binding style which uses a spiral wire or plastic coil to hold the paper together. This is just like the spiral bound notebooks you used to keep in your trapper keeper and if you tore the paper out of it and handed in homework like that, your teacher would get really mad because it was messy.

Die Cutting – Die cutting is a process where you can cut any shape out of the ordinary square or rectangular objects of a sheet of paper. There are two types of dies we use for cutting. Steel rule dies will have little nicks on the edges as part of the process where high dies have no nicks looking much cleaner. We have several stock dies used for cutting including Doorhangers, Hang Tags, Presentation Folders, Business Cards, Rounded Corners, Game Cards, Die Cut Stickers, Membership Cards (CR80) and several more. We can also create a custom die in any shape you need. None of these products will actually cause people to physically die.

Perforation – A Perforation is a row of small holes pierced in a sheet of paper so that a part can be torn off easily. A ticket with a stub that can be torn off is an example of perforation.

Hole Drilling – We will hole drill your printed piece at the location you request. We do not punch your cards with a single hole punch by hand one at a time. We stack the paper into maybe a 100 or more sheets then drill through all of them at once. The sizes that we offer are 1/8th, 3/16th, 1/4, 5/16, 3/8, 7/16, 1/2 and 1.375. We also offer Binder Punches with 2, 3, 4 and 5 holes.

Other Finishing Services

Cutting – We will cut your printed piece to the size that is ordered typically using a guillotine blade cutter.

Scoring – Scoring is the process of making a crease in paper so it will fold without cracking the paper. It’s an indentation into the paper where the fold will occur.

Collating – Collation is the assembly of printed products into a standard order. Collations can be based on numerical order, alphabetical order, or other methods of order.

Wafer Seal (Tabbing) – A small adhesive tab of paste that is used to seal mailers, brochures and letters.

Padding – A process of gluing sheets together into a pad with a chipboard backing for stability.

Paper Banding – Paper banding uses wide but thin paper to keep a hold on products without causing damage.

Shrink Wrapping – Also referred to as shrink film, is a material made up of polymer plastic film. When heat is applied, it shrinks tightly over whatever it is covering. Heat can be applied with a handheld heat gun (electric or gas), or the product and film can pass through a heat tunnel on a conveyor.

Corner Rounding – Instead of typical square corners, we can round the corners of your printed pieces to make your piece stand out a little bit more. You can choose to have all 4 corners rounded, opposite corners or just 1 corner.