“Our story begins in a small basement room that housed a digital printer and a large vision.”
Innovative Design & Print is proud of those rural roots. Calvin Frey started the company out of his parents’ basement in 2007 as a part-time business. A year later, he incorporated. He served small, mostly rural, local businesses. When the business outgrew the basement, he took over the garage. In 2013, he moved into a shop in Millbank, Ont. Since then, he’s bought two more shops – in Harriston, Ont., and Waterloo, Ont. – and went from running a one-man operation to overseeing 50 employees. The company serves a wide range of industries, including education, retail, government and manufacturing. “Every business that you can find in a small town we work for,” says Frey.
A solution for short-run applications
“We have larger digital machines, but we were looking for something quick and easy for short runs,” says Frey. “Short run is a big part of our business. Our business depends on it.” The imagePRESS C850 replaced another small digital press they were not longer satisfied with, and offered superior image quality at a better price in a smaller footprint. “It’s efficient. The image quality is really good for the size of the machine – often when you go down to a smaller machine, you lose quality fast. I would definitely get another [imagePRESS].”
The imagePRESS C850 allows Innovative to keep larger machines free for higher volume jobs. They use it to produce booklets, postcards, flyers and NCR forms. The company has given the device a steady workout since installing it, running, on average, 90,000 impressions a month.
Adapting to the shifting print landscape has allowed the company to grow, as has investing in devices they can count on to maintain their productivity. Says Frey: “Reliable equipment is the key to the whole operation.” Innovative had never owned Canon equipment before the C850, but Frey felt comfortable investing in part because of reputation. “The sales process was well done,” he says, “and I was counting on the service and dependability of the Canon equipment.” Frey has seen the value this initial investment has brought to his business. (Innovative has since placed other Canon devices at its other locations.) “The [imagePRESS] C850 does quality short-run colour work in an efficient, small footprint machine.”
A solution for short-run applications
“We have larger digital machines, but we were looking for something quick and easy for short runs,” says Frey. “Short run is a big part of our business. Our business depends on it.” The imagePRESS C850 replaced another small digital press they were not longer satisfied with, and offered superior image quality at a better price in a smaller footprint. “It’s efficient. The image quality is really good for the size of the machine – often when you go down to a smaller machine, you lose quality fast. I would definitely get another [imagePRESS].”
The imagePRESS C850 allows Innovative to keep larger machines free for higher volume jobs. They use it to produce booklets, postcards, flyers and NCR forms. The company has given the device a steady workout since installing it, running, on average, 90,000 impressions a month.
Adapting to the shifting print landscape has allowed the company to grow, as has investing in devices they can count on to maintain their productivity. Says Frey: “Reliable equipment is the key to the whole operation.” Innovative had never owned Canon equipment before the C850, but Frey felt comfortable investing in part because of reputation. “The sales process was well done,” he says, “and I was counting on the service and dependability of the Canon equipment.” Frey has seen the value this initial investment has brought to his business. (Innovative has since placed other Canon devices at its other locations.) “The [imagePRESS] C850 does quality short-run colour work in an efficient, small footprint machine.”
Building strong relationships
Frey also appreciates the partnership Canon has built with his company. Connecting with clients and keeping the lines of communication open is something he recognizes – and prioritizes – himself. “When it comes right down to it, it’s [a company’s] service that matters.”