PrintingNews.com

Brooks Litho and Digital Group in North Amityville, N.Y., made its digital transition 13 years ago. Ahead of its time, the firm is a pioneer in the printing industry, but keeping that status is a constant process.

Owner David Brooks has been working in the industry for more than 35 years, and in 1988, after working for several printing companies, he became a print broker. His business continued to grow, and eventually became a full-service printing company. During that time, the company mainly focused on catalog production for publishers by offering typesetting and mechanical services. These services were part of an overall package, which provided one convenient source for clients' needs. The "under one roof" concept made it possible for Brooks to acquire the mainstay of his catalog printing business; however, as desktop publishing became more prevalent, publishers and clients started doing their own typesetting. He then realized his niche would become a thing of the past.

Going Digital

Brooks decided that digital printing was the best option for growth. In 1995, he purchased an Indigo E-print 1000 digital offset press, making him the first digital printer on Long Island. Several weeks later, he ordered a Heidelberg Quickmaster Direct (DI) press, which became one of a few in the entire New York metro area.

But as with all technology, there were some major problems that had to be solved. For example, the quality of the Indigo press was affected by banding and other print issues. Poor reliability and frequent breakdowns also contributed to the less-than-successful debut of digital printing for the company. Sales suffered, and didn't quite turn out as well as anticipated, and the high costs of service contracts and consumables weren't favorable.

"I've always believed that it's more important to be one of a few, than one of many," explained Brooks about his marketing philosophy on 'being different.' "In this business, you've got to be one step ahead of your competition, and it's becoming more difficult than ever to do that."

The company was indeed unique more than a decade ago, but becoming the first local digital printer came with a price. "We suffered a lot at first. We paid $525,000 for the E-print, and three years later, Indigo was selling the same press for $150,000," he noted. There were also limited applications for variable data. The company had open houses, attended trade shows, and advertised heavily. People were awed by the technology, but were ultimately turned off by some of the quality issues.

"We were way ahead of the time, and despite the adversities, we're still here. We certainly paid the price, but there's an upside to all that. We've been through the learning curves, and the experience does pay off," he continued.

Brooks has always believed there's a place in the market for digital printing. "Back in the '90s, it allowed us to get into places other printers could not. Now it seems that more printers are turning to digital technology. Education is a key to becoming a successful digital printer. We've always been at the forefront of our industry—I talked about variable-data printing before most people even heard of it. I got a lot of strange looks and, surprisingly, I still do today," he said.