Chris Chivers started Identity Ink in May 2009 to fill a void in the printing industry. He worked in marketing communications for a large manufacturer at the time, and part of his job involved coordinating projects with digital print shops. He would bring them very specific requests. Often underwhelmed with the level of solutions presented to him, Chivers would source his own. The print shops would mark them up and sell them back to him.
“At a certain point, I said this is silly,” says Chivers. “I’m creating my own solutions, so why don’t I start a business that does this.
“At the time, Identity Ink pioneered this idea of focusing a niche on what we call architectural graphic solutions. We supply solutions that can digitally brand or enhance the function of – what we’ve coined – ‘windows, walls and workspaces’ in offices and corporate environments. Those are the three niches that we touch, and not just from an aesthetic standpoint but also from a functional standpoint.”
Their customers – they play heavily in the corporate sandbox, as well as in the technology, finance and healthcare industries – don’t turn to them for standard digital printing needs. That’s not their bread and butter, says Chivers. “We definitely push the limits of a lot of the equipment we use and some of the materials we have. That’s what sets us apart.”
It’s also what brought them to Canon.