Solimar Systems Celebrates 35 Years of Innovation

Credit: Solimar Systems

Solimar Systems, Inc., a leading provider of workflow software solutions for production print and digital communications,  announced its 35th anniversary. Founded on March 22, 1991, the company has grown from a small San Diego startup into a global enterprise serving thousands of customers worldwide and including many Fortune 100 companies.

Solimar's Chemistry Platform provides comprehensive workflow solutions for PDF optimization, job tracking and visibility, document transformation, workflow automation, accessibility, postal savings, and secure digital archive and delivery. The company's solutions serve a wide array of industries, including banking, insurance, distribution, retail, healthcare, education, government, utilities, and print service providers.

"Thirty-five years is a significant milestone, but what matters most isn't the number—it's what that time represents," said Drew Sprague, President of Solimar Systems. "It represents thousands of customer relationships, countless problems solved together, and a team that shows up every day committed to making our customers successful. That's what we're really celebrating."

A Legacy of Listening

When Solimar opened its doors in 1991, the company's mission was straightforward: help organizations print from computers and mainframes to the emerging generation of digital printing engines. Fax machines were normal technology, the internet was a curiosity, and PDF wouldn't be introduced for two years.

What set Solimar apart from the beginning wasn't just technical capability—it was an unwavering focus on customer collaboration. The company's Customer Advisory Council (CAC) has become a powerful engine for innovation, bringing together customers from across industries to share challenges, test new ideas, and shape the direction of Solimar's product development.

"Our customers aren't just licensees; they are collaborators," said Mary Ann Rowan, CXO and Solimar's co-founder. “The CAC is instrumental in keeping us focused on what is needed and what matters in production environments. Some of our best features started as conversations in these meetings. That's the ‘Chemistry’ we talk about—which is why it’s also our software platform name."

Three Decades of Industry Recognition

Over the past 35 years, Solimar has earned dozens of industry awards for its contributions to production print, workflow automation, and customer communications. The company has been honored by organizations such as Inkjet Summit, Xplor International,  Keypoint Intelligence, and numerous industry publications for innovations in document transformation, PDF optimization, job tracking, and accessibility.

Recent recognition includes the Xplor Application of the Year Award, shared with Mayo Clinic for an automated workflow solution that transforms patient education delivery—eliminating manual booklet assembly and giving nurses more time with patients.

Solimar also received an award from Xplor for secure printing of national exam books using JDF job tickets and intelligent workflow automation.

The company's ReadyPDF Prepress Server earned a Buyers Lab Outstanding Innovation Award from Keypoint Intelligence, with independent testing demonstrating PDF file size reductions of up to 14 times and dramatic processing speed improvements. A subsequent Keypoint Intelligence analysis showed a 40% average reduction in file size across nine mixed job types.

A Thriving Partner Ecosystem

Solimar's success is built on strong partnerships across the industry. Hardware partnerships with Canon, HP, Konica Minolta, Kyocera, RISO, SCREEN, and Xerox ensure Solimar solutions integrate seamlessly across diverse production environments and generations of printers. Implementation partners like Hansen360 help customers maximize the value of their Solimar investments within complex print and mail operations.

The company is headquartered in San Diego, California, with staff across the US and the UK, as well as many authorized distributors worldwide.

Gratitude and the Road Ahead

"We're grateful to have assembled such an amazing and experienced team of dedicated professionals.” Sprague reflected. "Our employees are committed to creating successes. Our partners trust us with their customers. And those customers, many of whom have been with us for decades, have helped us to get even better. It has been a wonderful voyage."

Looking ahead, Solimar continues to invest in intelligent automation, PDF optimization, document security, self-paced learning via Solimar University Online (SUO), and opportunities to leverage AI. Recent Solimar product releases—including ReadyPDF Prepress Console,  SOLscript Xpress, and SOLsearcher Cloud demonstrate the company's commitment to staying ahead of evolving customer needs.

"What I'm proudest of and most thankful for after 35 years isn't the technology — it's the relationships. Our customers are growing, taking on bigger jobs, and entering new markets, and we get to be part of that,“ shares Rowan. “When someone tells me they landed a new contract because our platform gave them the confidence to say yes — I’m delighted. We built Solimar to help production print operations scale, and that mission hasn't changed. It's getting even more exciting every day."

Source: Solimar Systems

The preceding press release was provided by a company unaffiliated with Printing Impressions. The views expressed within may not directly reflect the thoughts or opinions of the staff of Printing Impressions.