Before you jump to any incorrect conclusions, I think I'd better explain the headline a bit better. You see, Bill Eggers had been working for Republic Steel for sixteen years when the economy headed south in 1982 and the steel giant decided to offer many of their employees an open window. That simply meant that they could take an early retirement with severance pay. Bill assessed the situation and weighed the facts that first, he had gotten a lot of experience working in the printing department at Republic and second, he and his mother-in-law, who had 25 years of printing experience with the Solon School District, had always talked about starting their own print shop. He came to the conclusion that he would take advantage of this open window and opened The Printery Edition in his basement that same year. As you can imagine, a print shop in the basement can get crowded quickly so Bill built his own commercial building in 1986. Although his mother stayed on in Solon, she provided an enormous amount of assistance while the young business was first starting. Her technical advice, along with her typesetting and design skills, helped ensure that the young print shop would get a reputation for top quality right from the very beginning.

Bill believes that the best philosophy for printers is to concentrate on "service, timeliness, and correctness". His customers not only expect great service, they also need their printing completed on time and they need it thoroughly proofread. The Printery Edition focuses mainly on printing business stationary and newsletters, although, being a full service printer, they also do hot foil stamping, thermography, and a year and a half ago, they added bulk mailing to their menu. Bill had found that many of his customers were looking for someone to handle their mailing campaigns but the big printing houses didn't want to be bothered with mailings of less than 50,000, much more than his customers needed. He stepped up to the plate, did his homework, bought the necessary equipment, and now The Printery Edition is equipped to handle large and small mailing programs for their clients, too. When I was in the shop, they were doing a job where one machine was collating three sheets of paper, folding them into thirds, placing the folded sheets in envelopes, and even sealing the envelopes. Another machine took the envelopes and applied the addresses and bar codes and then they were ready for the postman. This is a very impressive operation and it all happens so smoothly!

The biggest change in the printing business over the last few years is in the design area. Some clients are now doing their own art work on their home computers and having The Printery Edition just handle the printing. Others, who have become accustomed to printing color documents on their printer at home, are wanting flashier graphical elements and the enhanced look of professional printing. Due to the demands for higher quality graphics and layout, Bill's son, a graduate of the Savannah College of Art and Design, is now handling the design department and Bill has recently added a new state-of-the-art color press to their toolbox. I'm sitting here holding his business card and his brochure in one hand while looking at my own humble efforts produced on my computer in the other and there's no comparison. It's not even close. As a matter of fact, I think I'm going to talk to Bill about handling our printing when our current stock starts getting low. If you have printing needs and creating a very favorable impression is your goal, give Bill a call or stop by The Printery Edition. While you're there, don't forget to tell them that The Advocate sent you!

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