This is our ninth annual Top 50 Fastest Growing Printers competition. Participants entered either using the Top 50 form that was bound into our March 2002 issue or by downloading the form from www.americanprinter.com.

To be eligible, graphic-arts firms had to be in business for at least three years and have sales of more than $1 million during 2001. Winners were selected based on percent of sales growth from 1999 to 2001.

Fast growth isn't always a reliable indicator of profitability. But, while making comparisons solely based on percentage of revenue growth does have some potential drawbacks, the advantages to this are simplicity and objectivity. You'll find a closer look at a few Top 50 winners on the following pages and the complete list of winners on p. 34.

YOU GOTTA BELIEVE

How are printers coping with a difficult economy? “We refuse to participate in recessions,” declared one Top 50 executive. He added that while positive thinking by itself won't guarantee success, profitable printers know that management's attitude ultimately determines employees' expectations.

As in previous years, Top 50 winners were quick to acknowledge employees as essential ingredients to their success. According to Carolina Web: “Technology is great, but people are still key.”

Copy Solutions (Brentwood, TN) was even more emphatic: “Our employees do a hell of a job.”

Several cited CTP as their best equipment investment. GTC Media (Miami) said its Creo system “sped up workflow and improved quality significantly.”

In addition to CTP, Dave the Printer (Dallas) mentioned prepress upgrades, including two new G4s and new RIP software.

Likewise, Rocky Mountain Printing (Orem, UT) indicated that “accuracy in prepress makes the pressroom and bindery more efficient.”

Almost a dozen of the Top 50 said new presses have helped them grow. Color Printing Specialists (Minneapolis) reported that its 19 × 25-inch Shinohara coupled with a Baum folder have enabled it to expand its book work as well as produce two- and four-color jobs more efficiently.

Pinpoint Color (Jonesboro, AR) credited the fast makeready and running speed of a new six-color MAN Roland sheetfed press with minimizing downtime.

Grand River Printing & Imaging (Southfield, MI) and Dome Printing (Sacramento, CA) indicated that their heatset web presses have provided a competitive advantage.

In addition to four new presses — including two six-color, 40-inch presses — over the past 20 months, Bruce Printing (Minneapolis) has added CTP capabilities and two new MBO dual-feed folders. Not surprisingly, the printer had to expand its facilities.

WHAT'S ON YOUR SHOPPING LIST?

Six of our Top 50 winners said fulfillment was the next service they would like to add; CTP was cited by five.

The Imaging Bureau Inc. (Fort Worth, TX) has a 10-color, 40-inch perfecting press on its wish list. The company attributes its success to its family-oriented staff, diverse services and willingness to take chances. It offers heatset web and sheetfed printing, foil stamping, diecutting and offline UV.

Some printers are happy with the status quo: “We pretty much have it all,” reported Suttle-Straus (Waunakee, WI).

Similarly, according to H+W Printing (Marietta, GA): “We are very happy staying in our halfsize niche.”

Odyssey Digital Printing (Tulsa, OK) gave its vote to “the next innovation in color digital printing, whatever it is.”

Others, such as Indexx Inc. (Greenville, SC), took a more pragmatic stance: “At this point, we would like to get a better handle on all of the services we currently offer.”

We'd like to do something special to celebrate the 10th year of the Top 50 competition. Got suggestions? E-mail us at APeditor@primediabusiness.com. We look forward to hearing from you!

				Sales (000)		No. of
	Company		% Sales	Growth		Employees	Year
Rank	Location	Key Market Niches	Growth	1999	2001	2001	Founded
1	Carolina Web, LLC Conover, NC	agencies, corporate, financial, retail, travel, tourism	442	187	1,014	8	1998
2	GTC Media Miami	agencies, catalog, corporate, retail, entertainment	400	800	4,000	31	1993
3	PrintingForLess.com Livingston, MT	agencies, catalog, corporate, financial, insurance, legal, manufacturing	322	1,008	4,258	45	1996
4	New London Press, Inc. Alpharetta, GA	agencies, corporate, health care, manufacturing, pharmaceutical	260	1,100	3,960	24	1987
5	Full Court Press Westbrook, ME	corporate, financial, health care, retail	253	357	1,260	10	1998
6	RPM Copies and Printing The Mirodon Group, Inc., Tampa, FL	agencies, corporate, health care, insurance, legal, manufacturing, retail	217	394	1,250	13	1989
7	News Publishers' Press Glendale, CA	newspapers	147	1,334	3,296	25	1978
8	Odyssey Digital Printing Tulsa, OK	agencies, corporate, manufacturing, retail, telecom, restaurant/food service	129	2,425	5,550	55	1996
9	Page One Printing McKees Rocks, PA	agencies, catalog, corporate, financial, health care, insurance, legal, manufacturing	127	789	1,789	15	1986
10	Bruce Printing, Inc. Minneapolis	corporate, health care, manufacturing, retail, telecom, education	110	6,581	13,803	96	1962
11	Print-Tech, Inc. Madison, WI	agencies, corporate	107	2,292	4,738	50	1990
12	UpFront Productions Minneapolis	agencies, corporate, financial, health care, insurance, manufacturing, retail	105	1,950	4,000	36	1994
13	Creative Printing Services Wilkes-Barre, PA	agencies, corporate, financial, health care, insurance, legal, manufacturing	104	745	1,521	15	1996
14	St. Ives, U.S. Division Miami	agencies, catalog, corporate, financial, retail, health care, publications, insurance, telecom	100	112,000	224,000	1,200	1964
15	Flottman Co., Inc. Crestview Hills, KY	agencies, corporate, health care, pharmaceutical	91	1,730	3,297	35	1921
16	Multi Media Services Corning, NY	corporate, manufacturing, education, financial	87	920	1,724	17	1995
17	H&W Printing, Inc. Marietta, GA	agencies, catalog, corporate, health care, insurance, retail, telecom	86	2,200	4,100	42	1996
18	The Imaging Bureau, Inc. Ft. Worth, TX	agencies, catalog, corporate, financial, health care, travel, insurance, legal, manufacturing	81	3,100	5,600	47	1992
19	The Graphic Center of New Jersey Dover, NJ	agencies, corporate, health care, manufacturing, pharmaceutical, retail, software	77	2,200	3,900	15	1981
20	Direct Impressions, Inc. Richmond, VA	agencies, financial, insurance, telecom, direct mail	74	6,059	10,541	65	1996
21	Westbridge Printing Services, Inc. Ft. Worth, TX	agencies, manufacturing, corporate, insurance	68	2,390	4,017	30	1986
22	Gulf Coast Printing Services, Inc. Ft. Myers, FL	agencies, catalog, corporate	64	1,853	3,036	32	1995
23	Suttle-Straus, Inc. Waunakee, WI	agencies, catalog, manufacturing, corporate, telecom, insurance	58	10,685	16,923	160	1908
24	Allegra Print & Imaging — Indianapolis Indianapolis	agencies, corporate, financial, health care, insurance, legal, manufacturing, motorsports	57	1,185	1,866	13	1986
25	Vox Printing, Inc. Oklahoma City	restaurant	53	3,862	5,907	30	1971
26	Pinpoint Color LLC Jonesboro, AR	agencies, catalog, corporate, health care, manufacturing	52.6	1,900	2,900	25	1997
27	Reflections Printing, Inc. Minneapolis	agencies, catalog, corporate, financial, health care, insurance, manufacturing	51	3,944	5,942	38	1996
28	Color Graphic Systems, Inc. New Berlin, WI	agencies, corporate, financial, retail	47	1,900	2,800	15	1996
29	Mel Printing Co., Inc. Melvindale, MI	agencies, catalog, corporate, health care, insurance, manufacturing	45	2,224	3,220	30	1961
30	Kaufman Printing Lakewood, CO	agencies, catalog, corporate, retail	44.6	1,213	1,754	14	1948
31	Copy Solutions, Inc. Brentwood, TN	agencies, corporate, financial, health care, insurance, manufacturing, retail, education	44	1,391	2,003	12	1992
32	ASAP Printing, Inc. Okemos, MI	agencies, corporate, financial, health care, insurance, legal, manufacturing, retail, telecom	41.2	1,321	1,866	21	1994
33	Indexx, Inc. Greenville, SC	agencies, corporate, legal, manufacturing, retail, trade	41.1	3,348	4,724	54	1994
34	Stylecraft Graphic Communications Rancho Santa Margarita, CA	agencies, catalog, corporate, financial, health care, nonprofit	40.5	3,190	4,482	36	1983
35	Colorado Printing Co. Grand Junction, CO	agencies, catalog, corporate, financial, health care, manufacturing, retail, telecom	39	4,616	6,436	47	1947
36	Dave the Printer, Inc. Dallas	manufacturing, corporate	38.7	906	1,256	10	1974
37	Color Printing Specialists, Inc. Minneapolis	agencies, catalog, corporate, manufacturing,retail, nonprofit	37	799	1,090	11	1979
38	Grand River Printing & Imaging Southfield, MI	agencies, catalog, corporate, manufacturing, retail, telecom, education	33	13,500	18,000	90	1978
39	Professional Printers West Columbia, SC	agencies, catalog, corporate, manufacturing,	32	4,100	5,400	53	1993
40	Salem Printing Co. Winston-Salem, NC	agencies, corporate, financial, health care, manufacturing	30	3,664	4,772	40	1987
41	Courier Corp. North Chelmsford, MA	book publishing	27	167,000*	212,000*	1,500	1824
42	Rocky Mountain Printing Orem, UT	catalog, corporate, retail	26	5,016	6,330	45	1995
43	Winston Printing Co. Winston-Salem, NC	agencies, manufacturing, packaging	25.8	12,000	15,100	101	1911
44	Norwich Printing Co., Inc. d/b/a Minuteman Press, Norwich, CT	catalog, agencies, corporate, health care, financial, insurance, legal, manufacturing, retail	24.2	856	1,063	8	1992
45	Worth Higgins & Associates, Inc. Richmond, VA	agencies, catalog, education, financial, health care, insurance, legal, telecom, retail, pharmaceutical	24	8,444	10,467	93	1970
46	Bramkamp Printing Co., Inc. Cincinnati	agencies, corporate, financial, health care, legal, manufacturing, retail, packaging	23.8	3,099	3,836	25	1921
47	The P.A. Hutchison Co. Mayfield, PA	corporate, financial, health care, legal, manufacturing, nonprofit	23.7	10,312	12,754	105	1922
48	Documation LLC Eau Claire, WI	corporate, health care, legal, manufacturing, associations	23	6,348	7,835	65	1994
49	Dome Printing Sacramento, CA	agencies, corporate, financial, manufacturing, retail, telecom	22	19,524	23,863	124	1969
50	Mercury Printers, Inc. Orlando, FL	agencies, catalog, corporate, health care, insurance, legal, manufacturing	18	4,200	4,950	35	1969
* net sales