Commercial Printer Does Packaging

The commercial printing side of the print industry has been struggling with several issues in recent years. Increased mail costs mean less direct mail; increased use of electronic media to communicate means less is printed (what is happening to newspapers is an excellent example); and the costs of raw materials have become an issue. Many commercial printers have transitioned to being marketing service providers, with some even eliminating the word "print" from their company literature. Others, like Tepel Brothers, have entered into the package-printing arena. This printer, one of the top 400 printers in the United States, with sales of greater than $23 million, recognized the niche it could fill as a package printer, in addition to the variety of other products it prints for a client base that includes automobile and greeting card manufacturers, casinos, financial concerns, and magazine publishers. However, Tepel Brothers staff was quick to identify it as an area to exploit. "Once our sales staff recognized the potential of what our capabilities had to offer, it quickly realized that we truly are a unique source for specialized processes and product offerings that we can produce," says Jim Tepel, company president. "It also has an impact on our client base. No longer do they need to travel hundreds of miles for press checks because the closest printer with our capabilities is in Chicago, or even further."