Elections Printers — Power of the Press

THERE HAS been some erroneous reporting going on. Not by Printing Impressions, but by another industry publication, which stated that 135 printers were gearing up to print election materials for the 2008 Democratic National Convention being held in Denver this month.

There might be 135 printers on the Vendor List of the Host Committee’s Website, but only a select few made it through the “requirements process” and got the work.

Touted as the “greenest presidential convention in history,” the Democratic National Convention Committee (DNCC) was seeking a few environmentally friendly printers. But, that’s only the half of it. The other major requirement of the DNCC was that the printer be a union shop. Considering that there are not many union shops these days, the DNCC’s order seemed pretty tall. A green, union shop. How many of those could there be?

Enter a little-known printer that quickly made big-time news.

“Companies Gain Exposure from Dem Convention Work” reads the headline in the Rocky Mountain News February 7, 2008, edition. The article continues: “BC Printing doesn’t know how much revenue it will glean printing letterhead, stationery and other materials for the Democratic National Convention Committee. But one thing is certain: Working with the DNCC will provide a significant boost for the Denver-based company in other ways. BC Printing and a handful of other local companies are finding that prestige, exposure and connections gained by working with the convention are almost as beneficial as the additional revenue it provides.”

BC Printing

Who would think that a tiny union print shop (with only six employees) could end up being the “preferred print provider” for the DNCC?

BC Printing, for one. Well, at least, it hoped so.

According to owner Dan Linn, “We bought the shop eight years ago, partly due to its niche in elections work, which is a big business every other year. There’s a significant increase in volume/revenues during election years.”