PADGETT PRINTING — DESTINATION: DIGITAL

Padgett Printing has since replaced its Chromapress with a trio of Kodak Digimasters, two Kodak NexPress color presses and a Xerox 92c for spot color.

Like any printer confronting new technology, Torok was dubious to the “if you buy it, they will come,” mantra of selling digital. Beyond that was the question: who will sell the digital offering? Finding the right salesperson to make success a reality might have been the toughest hurdle for Padgett Printing to clear.

“Over the last six years, we’ve kissed every frog in the pond trying to find those types of salespeople,” Torok notes.

Despite the anticipated warts, a few princes have emerged. “Obviously, the results are showing it,” he says. “Our digital sales were up 23 percent last year. It’s now more than 10 percent of our business, and I’d like to see it become 15 to 20 percent.”

Torok credits Kodak’s business development division for helping educate Padgett on the sometimes slow art of selling digital printing. He believes Kodak has helped pave the way for 90 percent of the printer’s new business.

The digital revolution has complemented, and not cannibalized, the offset platform at Padgett. Digital customers are now coming to the commercial printer for their offset needs, and those clients whose needs were once strictly offset are turning to Padgett for digital requests.

One customer, which generated $1.8 million in digital-based sales five years ago—a figure that is decreasing—is now bringing about $4 million in offset work to the printer. Padgett’s largest offset customer three years ago is now its biggest digital customer.

Digital color has come a long way at Padgett Printing. Where once the ratio of black-and-white to color work was 15:1, the printer now counts 30 percent black-and-white, 65 percent full color and 5 percent spot color. And where once a lion’s share of the product load consisted of high-end marketing and advertising collateral, more than half of its business is now direct mail jobs.