Spencer Printing Bought, Renamed Colormark
Richmond, VA—After 62 years, Spencer Printing, based here, is changing its name to Colormark. According to officials at the company, the change is intended to reflect the company's new phase of growth.
In February, Spencer Printing was acquired by The Supply Room Companies, owner of Proximus Printing. Spencer and Proximus were merged and all operations moved to Spencer's 40,000-square-foot facility. Ron Lanio, former president of Spencer Printing, was tapped to take the title of president at the combined operations.
"After the merger we conducted an opinion survey of current and prospective customers to find out what changes and improvements they would like to see in our services," says Lanio. "This input, and the infusion of new capital from The Supply Room Companies, has resulted in a myriad of changes including the purchase of new printing equipment, a more sophisticated telephone/messaging system and advanced technology that saves time and money. Customers also suggested a name change to reflect the progressive new direction of the company."
Among the many changes, Colormark is now running presses 24 hours a day, six days a week. The company has also invested in a new, fully-automated, six-color plus aqueous coater Heidelberg press. The new press will be up and running before the end of the year.
Colormark has also installed a Hagen OA print management system that tracks each job, from estimating and scheduling to invoicing, so every detail is current and instantly accessible.
Colormark also has a new unified messaging system that integrates e-mail, fax and voice messages with the company's computer system to improve both internal and external communications.
"The merger of Spencer and Proximus has resulted in an expanded range of services that allows Colormark to be a single-source supplier for customers with a wide variety of printing needs," notes Rebecca Jones, vice president of sales. "Spencer primarily handled large, complex projects, while Proximus specialized in smaller format work. The combined capabilities allow us to efficiently handle everything from smaller projects to six-color brochures and annual reports."
Colormark is forming three separate divisions within the company to organize its operations. Colormark itself will specialize in corporate, direct mail, design firm and ad agency projects. Colormark Express will produce shorter run one- and two-color projects, quick printing and direct-to-plate projects. Colormark Financial will handle financial printing for corporations and financial institutions.
"Print buyers want options and those we surveyed were very supportive of our growth plans, expressing their preference for using a high-quality, convenient, locally-owned printing company," contends Lanio.
