2018 Annual Top 100 Quick & Small Commercial Printers

Every year, Printing News invites commercial print owners to participate in the Top 100 Quick & Small Commercial Printers survey. This survey takes a look at the state of the industry as presented by commercial print owners across North America. As the figures for 2017 would confirm, it was indeed a healthy year for print in total sales reported of $ 652,624,639.

Chief Economist and Senior Vice President at Idealliance, Andy Paparozzi, best describes the state of commercial printing’s performance in 2017 as an upturn that oft en hasn’t felt quite like an upturn. “Activity picks up but doesn’t stay up, creating a plodding advance with limited pricing power, persistent pressure on margins, and the heightened uncertainty that complicates hiring and investment decisions and makes effective planning even more challenging,” said Paparozzi.

Based on the economic performance within print for the first quarter of 2018, projections of growth between 2%-3% are expected—keeping this industry upturn at a slow but consistent pace. Commercial print owners also agree they’ve experienced better business conditions in recent years. “Many things can happen to bring this virtuous cycle to a premature end. However, a healthy and accelerating economy will take our industry with it,” noted Paparazzi. Industry experts maintain that the real winners will be those who seize this healthy economic environment to secure a competitive advantage.

Th e following businesses made this year’s Top Ten:

• Duggal Visual Solutions (#1)
• Ironmark (#2)
• Firespring Print, Inc. (#3)
• Tapecon, Inc. (#4)
• Alphaprint, Inc. (#5)
• Strategic Factory (#6)
• Label Impressions, Inc. (#7)
• Alexander’s Print Advantage (#8)
• Astek, Inc. (#9)
• Allegra Marketing Print Mail (#10)

Finding Opportunities to Thrive 

Mike Duggal of Duggal Visual Solutions (#1 in our Top 100) credits an obsession with quality and having the latest technology to off er customers as two top keys to the success of his business. “Having diverse service offerings at a large scale allows us to off er a complete solution,” said Duggal.

Increasingly, commercial print owners are discovering they must rethink not only their technology, but also their labor force, their value propositions, their suite of customized solutions, and their sales opportunities.

Kevin Thomas, Chief Operating Officer at Firespring Print, Inc. (#3) agrees: “We credit the success of our business to the willingness to change gears and fully embrace the change. The industry continues to evolve and consumer needs are changing at a record clip.” 

Specializations Continue to Expand 

When it comes to securing a sales advantage, a commercial print business must fi rst decide what their vision is, and what opportunities are priorities based on that vision.

“More and more we are becoming a print advisory service to help direct our clients to products that will best meet their needs,” explained Duggal.

Customers oft en need professional support on how to get “big wins” that deliver a return on investment.These conversations provide opportunities to rethink sales strategies by bringing new ideas to the table. 

“We continue to find that layering marketing services with print services has big upside. Getting involved at the strategic level and better understanding our client’s business needs and goals allows us to recommend the appropriate marketing tactic,” explained Thomas.

Harvard Business Review reports that client loyalty is the single most important driver of long-term financial performance. According to market research by Thomas O. Jones and W. Earl Sasser, Jr., increasing customer retention by even 5% increases profitability by 25%-95%. This year’s Top 100 are driving customer loyalty by diversifying their offerings to new and existing clients. “Practice what you preach. Make sure your own marketing is on point and you are reaching your target market effectively. Become your own case study,” said Thomas.

“You need to understand your customers’ application challenge and not just sell,” said Kelly Flicinski, Marketing Specialist at Tapecon, Inc. (#4).

 Finding talent that can fulfill market demand and keep up with an increasingly innovative industry is the second half of increasing a competitive advantage. As 14% of the Top 100 commercial print providers prepare to open new locations in 2018, a healthy and sustainable talent pipeline is imperitive. “We need to be prepared to compete as vigorously for talent as we do for clients to succeed,” Paparozzi urged. 

Prepare for Growth

Color digital printing and copying remained #1 and #2 most common job orders among the Top 100. Prepress, bindery/finishing, and mailing services all follow close behind in the top 5 most common job types reported. Industry experts expect something other than printing (such as mailing, fulfillment, database management, marketing services, web service, etc.) to provide 31.6% of their revenue in 2018, up from just 13.3% in 2012. 

Figures show that 80% of the Top 100 reported growth in revenue during 2017. In tandem with a healthy economy, this number is only expected to grow in 2018.