4 Color Press — Middle Ground Master

IT COULD be argued that 4 Color Press doubles as a collectible automobile dealer. The Fort Worth, TX-based company has a pair of unique rides rubbing elbows with its short-run offset printing equipment: a 1957 Messerschmitt (one of those cute single-cylinder three-wheelers) and a screaming bright yellow 2000 Ferrari 360 Modena F-1.

"It's used for extremely fast deliveries," notes 4 Color Press owner and self-described "solutionist" Andrew Fuld, tongue presumably in cheek. "If we have to get something there fast, I'm ready to jump in."

Fuld learned long ago the value of being able to deliver the goods in a hurry, having spent much of his 20 years in the printing industry working in the heavily populated printing franchise realm. He previously owned a pair of national franchises and spent a period with the corporate parent before turning solo with 4 Color Press in 2004.

While Fuld gained immeasurable experience and knowledge on the franchise circuit, he absolutely relishes operating in the four-color, short-run printing space. Being a high-quality, specialty printer seemed the most logical choice to Fuld when it came to the daunting task of starting a printing company from scratch--an almost unheard of practice in the 21st century.

"In the quick printing industry, you're a jack of all trades. You have medium-sized equipment across the board," Fuld says. "But if someone comes to you with a big job, you're overburdened and, in a way, set up for failure. You're trying to go after those big companies and relationships, but you don't have the firepower to get in there and do it.

"For me, 4 Color Press became that single, giant cannon that I can fire over and over, and know exactly that I'm going to hit my target every time."

Fuld's "target" is the short-run gamut, including booklets, brochures, direct mail, flyers, newsletters and other general work (business cards, posters, invitations, among others). 4 Color Press serves multiple-location manufacturing and retail businesses, along with trade printing for a range of local quick printers.