Featured Member of the Month: Word Center Printing
Word Center Printing opened our doors on Nottingham Way in 1982 as a “quick-print” shop with a single copier and 2 early-stage computers. Within 2 years we saw the need for actual printing presses, learned how to operate them and purchased 2 presses. In 1989 we moved to our present location at 1905 Rt. 33 in Hamilton, and we will proudly mark 37 years in business in 2019.
This year also marks 10 years since we decided to change our entire business model by selling our presses and purchasing a digital envelope/paper press. We were printing more and more full-color envelopes and badly needed to upgrade. The introduction of the digital envelope press was the perfect solution for us, and after seeing the machine in action at the national printing show in Philadelphia, we bought one of the first machines off the assembly line. It was truly a leap of faith, but it paid off handsomely. No more wet ink and chemical clean-ups…we could print all colors in “one pass” with beautiful quality. Not only did we print for our own customers, we began to print envelopes for other local printers in our area who did not want to make the investment in digital printing.
And the machine printed on all kind of paper. We took an online course in introducing and marketing a “Custom Invitation Boutique” in our shop, and soon began creating individual, custom made and hand-assembled wedding and social invitations with calligraphy guest addressing on the envelopes. This was before Pinterest and Etsy popularized the custom invitation movement and allowed us to establish another niche in our area. Today we create all the wedding and social stationery a client needs, from save-the-dates to wedding, shower and rehearsal dinner invitations, place cards or seating charts, event timelines, signs and posters for the venue, and thank you notes.
In the printing industry, there is a constant need to upgrade equipment and to innovate in product offerings. We ordered a second envelope/digital press several years later, and both are still going strong. We also continuously upgrade our standard digital presses…last month we installed another state-of-the-art digital press that allows us to produce very high-quality booklets, programs, and brochures on site with complete control over production. This machine also prints on a wide variety of heavy, glossy and metallic papers, expanding our custom invitation offerings. We also invested in a digital printer that actually prints white ink on dark and black paper and envelopes…this makes a stunning presentation on an invitation!
And so, Word center Printing is a full-service digital printing company. Our clients include healthcare firms, auto dealers, real estate firms, small business owners of all types, and individuals seeking high quality, custom made social invitations. With a master’s degree in English, Marilyn brings her expertise in writing and editing to the office. Jerry oversees envelope production… the machines are humming every day, and we ship thousands of envelopes a week. Our staff also includes print production personnel, graphic designers and invitation creators to meet our customers’ design and printing needs.
Please visit our website, wordcenterprinting.com, or call us at 609-586-5825 for more information about our products and services.
We’re open Monday-Friday from 9 am to 5 pm, and on weekends by appointment.