Irvine-based MyPrint Corp. continues to build its Internet venture.
The printer made a big online push last year when it launched Myprint.com. The site, which took two years to develop, lets customers order and print marketing materials online, among other things.
MyPrint’s overall sales were up 43% to $19.6 million for the 12 months ended March 31, the company reported. Revenue is expected to be about $30 million this year, said President Kent Barkouras.
“It is our software-related sales that are really taking off,” Barkouras said in a recent article in SoCal Marketing, a monthly trade paper. He also pointed to growth in commercial printing and fulfillment for the gain.
Instead of running from one of the biggest threats facing the print industry,the Internet,MyPrint is using it to nab more business.
In 2003, MyPrint hired engineers and programmers to develop software and other “e-tools” that let customers manage their printing and distribution online, Barkouras said.
MyPrint houses clients’ digital files on its servers. Clients’ employees can access the site, choose marketing materials they need and customize them. They can get an online proof, choose freight options and figure out how much it will cost to print and ship the order, Barkouras said.
Clients include IHOP Corp., which uses MyPrint’s software to order, print and distribute marketing materials to more than 1,200 restaurants and 300 franchises, Barkouras said.
Another customer: Wellpoint Inc.’s Blue Cross health insurance unit, which uses MyPrint’s software for its national Healthy Parenting campaign. Blue Cross has sent about 2 million booklets to 5,000 hospitals, doctors and nurses, he said.
MyPrint has provided sheet-fed print manufacturing for more than 20 years,and still does,but knew it was time to change, Barkouras said.
To handle more work, MyPrint recently hooked up with Irvine-based software maker Client Dynamics Inc., which was founded by Scott Lucas, Barkouras’ brother.
Client Dynamics is working on “personalization” software that helps MyPrint organize and match client data with information for marketing and training materials.
MyPrint, which has about 95 workers, also has invested in new prepress software and hardware, including digital proofing systems.
Luminor Opens in Lake Forest
Online branding company Luminor recently opened an office in Lake Forest.
Luminor, which got its start in Seattle, has four workers here. But the hunt is on for more, according to Chief Executive Ron Wilbur.
“We’re actively seeking interactive designers, other interactive professionals and communications strategists,” Wilbur said. “We’ll hire them as quickly as we find them.”
He said Orange County “isn’t known as a creative hotbed like Seattle. So in some ways it’s a bit more challenging to find talent here.”
This is Luminor’s second go at an OC office.
The firm, which focuses on online and interactive marketing, branding and public relations, had one in Irvine with some 12 to 15 workers, which it closed in 2001, Wilbur said.
Workers telecommute from home, and that’s how Luminor has operated since, he said.
The Lake Forest office was set up to “function as a think tank, meaning its primary purpose is for the development of new methods of communication,” Wilbur said.
“The brand lab is working on real projects for real clients, however,” he said. “We’re considering whether or not to expand it into a full-service facility, but it is currently not set up for that, and that would require a move to larger quarters.”
Luminor’s clients include Hewlett-Packard Co., Microsoft Corp. and Gardena-based Docommun AeroStructures.
Out on His Own
An OC public relations veteran has started his own firm.
David Jahr, former partner at Rodheim Marketing Group in Costa Mesa, recently launched BizEx Marketing in Laguna Hills.
His goal: helping big and small companies with expansion strategies, Jahr said.
“Over the years, I came across many smaller companies who could not afford the fees associated with typical ad or PR agencies,” Jahr said. “So I realized there is an opportunity for someone like me who could provide highly-strategic, yet cost-effective solutions for small and large business expansion.”
Jahr’s services include advertising, public relations, branding and strategic planning.
“It still surprises me how often new and small businesses do not have a plan, or even an executive summary in place and therefore are not ready for significant growth,” Jahr said.
Jahr has three partners and is looking for interns and entry-level workers, he said.
So far, Jahr’s clients include Terra Pacific Landscape and Moto California LLC.
