Irvine-based Dot Printer Inc. made its first acquisition in 10 years with the recent buy of Irvine’s Page One Digital.
Details of the deal weren’t disclosed.
The commercial printer targeted Page One for its 600-plus clients, said Bruce Carson, chief executive of Dot Printer.
“We have access to a whole new list of clients with very few crossover conflicts,” Carson said.
Mark Hutchins, Page One Digital founder, will stay on as vice president of sales and business development of Dot Printer.
The deal expands Dot Printer’s digital printing business, which allows clients to order fewer copies of materials and reorder as needed. Old print runs required ordering a set number.
“The No. 1 reason clients order more than they thought they were going to need is to get the lower unit cost on the conventional print side,” he said.
Upping Revenue
With clients cutting back on costs, offering more digital printing options could increase business for Dot Printer.
The company expects to do $30 million in revenue this year.
Dot Printer has digital offset technology, which uses an intermediate rubber-coated drum or “blanket” to transfer the images to paper for a cleaner product without as many trial runs as a traditional press.
The conventional offset printer produces about 25% excess paper and ink waste, while a digital offset printer usually wastes only 3% to 5%.
The company also provides other services.
Through this deal, Dot Printer is expanding into wide-format printing, which is used for store displays and large banner ads.
Up to now, Dot Printer only has done wide-format printing at its Las Vegas office.
The company works with Costa Mesa-based Rauxa Direct LLC, a direct marketing ad shop, and San Antonio-based Thomas Maps Inc., a maker of road maps.
The buy makes Dot Printer a bigger local player. The company had 154 workers before the acquisition, according to the Business Journal’s May ranking of the largest commercial printers operating in the county. It will gain Page One’s 25 employees who will most likely stay at the acquired company’s Irvine office.
Besides Dot Printer’s corporate offices in Irvine, the company also has offices in Santa Ana, Costa Mesa, Las Vegas and San Francisco.
Carson said Dot Printer is looking to buy more companies.
“We are interested in additional acquisitions like Page One, but we are also interested in acquisitions that drive us on the creative front,” he said.
The company is looking for something narrow in focus, not wanting to directly compete with its advertising agency clients.
“We don’t want to say we’re a full service agency, but we would like to find people that have marketing strategy capabilities,” Carson said.
