Orange County’s largest commercial printers on this week’s Business Journal list were able to eke out modest gains in local work last year.
The combined annual revenue for the 28 firms on the list—which ranks firms by work done in the area—rose 1.6% year-over-year to $644.7 million for the 12 months ended Dec. 31.
Revenue figures are based on production generated from all 129 locally based printing presses that are used by the 28 companies and is used as the basis of the Business Journal’s rankings.
Twelve companies reported higher sales, two stayed flat and four firms reported a decline. Sales for the remaining 10 companies are Business Journal estimates.
The number of OC-based employees at the firms increased at a higher rate; 4.4% to 2,585 employees, compared to last year’s workforce of 2,477. The total number of salespersons in OC decreased by 10 staffers to 184.
The list has one newcomer this year—Smart Levels Media, No. 20, in Irvine. Founded in 2001 as a one-man operation by President Joey Hinojosa, the full-service commercial printing business has since grown to a local staff of 38.
It reported revenue of $7.1 million, up 3% year-over-year.
Hinojosa credits the company’s growth to a decision adapting its production methods for small businesses, which typically lack larger advertising budgets.
“We made it possible for our customers to order very low quantities of any type of printed media they required, and within their budgets,” he said.
“This also afforded them the opportunity to keep making design changes in their media products and remain fluid and up-to-date in the ever-changing business world of advertising.”
Back Again
The six largest commercial printers kept their rankings from last year’s list:
• Trend Offset Printing Services Inc. in Los Alamitos landed at No. 1 with a Business Journal estimate of $220 million in revenue, the same as a year ago, and a local workforce of 560.
• No. 2, Cypress-based Primary Color reported a nearly 2% uptick in sales to $65 million. It reported 297 OC employees, down nearly 9% year-over-year. The company finished consolidating its locations in Irvine, Costa Mesa and El Segundo last year after moving into its current headquarters in 2017.
• Deluxe Branded Marketing in Irvine, No. 3, experienced double-digit growth boosting revenue by 15% to $46.1 million. It also added 15 employees in OC, totaling 75 workers.
• Irvine-based The Dot Corp. ranked No. 4. The company, which has two additional locations in Santa Ana, reported $31.8 million in revenue, up 5% year-over-year. Its local workforce remained steady at 190 employees.
• No. 5, Westamerica Communications in Lake Forest reported an increase of 7.4% to $29 million and added two OC employees, to a total of 110. The company added new equipment last year such as a 10-foot fabric printer and opened a Display Graphics Division—hosting an “Endless Summer” themed party to celebrate.
• Advanced Image Direct in Fullerton, No. 6, remained flat with an estimated $24 million in revenue and 125 employees in the county.
• No. 7, Crisp Imaging in Costa Mesa was among the firms that saw double-digit growth. The digital printing company reported revenue of $23 million, up 21% year-over-year. It also added about 20 employees in OC for a total of 163.
President and Chief Executive Gary Crisp said he also projects revenue to jump this year, estimating an 11% increase.
“Crisp Imaging’s 22% growth was fueled by our acquisition of Marathon Reprographics in Murrieta, the further expansion of our wide-format division, new product offerings like the Ricoh—which delivers high-speed small format color—and new store openings in Oakland and Seattle.”
• Santa Ana’s Foster Printing Co. leapfrogged four spots to No. 12. The company, which started in 1922 solely printing art books, reported revenue of $14.7 million, up 9% for the same period last year. Its employee count remained at 32.
• Out of the four companies posting a sales drop, No. 16 Meridian Graphics Inc. in Tustin reported the largest drop with sales declining 30% to $10.2 million. It also trimmed its staff to 52, down four employees.
• The biggest percentage gainer was Santa Ana-based Brixen & Sons Inc. Moving up two slots to No. 24, the company reported an increase of 25% to nearly $5 million. It also added three employees to its local staff of 24.
