PUBLICATION CENTER

Prestige Graphics takes color fidelity seriously and reaps the benefits of its attention to detail as well as its Web-based marketing to drive discerning customers to its doors.

Even in difficult economic times, large format printer Prestige Graphics, based in Sterling, Va., is thriving and growing by successfully translating its expertise in color management and pre-press to wide-format inkjet printing. Though successfully diversified into wide-format, owner Mark McCall, who has more than 20 years of experience in pre-press, still retains that core pre-press business and mentality.

Whether the files McCall works on are for magazines, catalogs, exhibit displays, or his own in-house commercial photography, each file is maximized for output according to stringent parameters and a closed-loop color workflow. This approach serves Prestige Graphics particularly well in wide-format output.

Color that Counts

“I use a Canon iPF9000 with EFI’s Colorproof XF Bestcolor for the RIP. I’m a fully color-managed shop and I make all my own profiles. What I see on the monitor is what comes off my printer, so if I make a 3 percent move in magenta on my monitor, for instance, that’s what comes off my printer,” says McCall. “Color is what I do.”

The result is extremely consistent color output that helps cement repeat business that’s both prestigious and profitable, such as the annual project he prints at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of Natural History.

McCall takes the award-winning work from Nature’s Best Photography magazine and makes it shine at the Smithsonian. Well-versed in digital photography and the resulting workflow, McCall pushes his Canon iPF9000 to unmatched photographic quality. McCall uses a Phase One digital back for his own commercial catalog photography, and his experience with this workflow pays off in spades for his work with Nature’s Best Photography.

“We color correct in RGB, go to CMYK for the magazine files, and use the color-corrected RGB files to print the Smithsonian exhibit images to ensure the widest possible color gamut,” says McCall. For the Smithsonian exhibit, McCall uses LexJet 5 Mil Gloss Display Film mounted to plexiglass with his AGL laminator.

Though McCall doesn’t print the magazine, he does the magazine’s color work and sends the press-ready files and contract proofs to the printer, Color Craft Virginia. “About 80 percent of the magazine is photos, so it’s all about the color. It’s the most color-critical piece I’ve ever worked on,” says McCall.

McCall has turned these types of success stories into a continuous flow of trade-show and exhibit work throughout the D.C. corridor. McCall concentrates on indoor graphics, preferring to send out any outdoor jobs. He ensures quality with his tightly-managed pre-press workflow; the files are always picture-perfect for printing.

Marketing that Matters

“You can do all the high-end color, high-profile work in the world, but if you don’t market your capabilities, it won’t be enough to truly grow your business,” says McCall. He says that the best marketing investment he’s made is connecting with a Web developer based in Pennsylvania called Vertex.

Vertex has built Prestige Graphics’ website based on McCall’s input, creating landing pages matched to keywords used in Google ads. “I’m constantly doing Search Engine Optimization (SEO) through Vertex and they’ve given me great results: the Google pay-per-click ad words tied to the landing pages have given me a lot of business,” adds McCall.

McCall also works with an independent rep who gets a copy of the Google ad word requests, and then follows up on those leads. “I’m staying as virtual as I can, plus I’m not paying workman’s comp, draws against commission, or any other related overhead,” says McCall. “It’s allowed me to produce a lot of high-end work as a small shop. “

McCall recently produced a retractable banner stand project for the Army National Guard’s Honor Guard program that came directly from his Web marketing efforts. McCall printed 50 40 in. x 90 in. banners (one for each state) on LexJet 6.5 Mil Gloss Opaque Display Film laminated with LexJet 5 Mil T-Flex. McCall also completed similar banner projects for the European Union and The Netherlands embassy.

“LexJet’s Display Film prints better than most photo gloss papers; I can print and hold a 1% dot on it. The T-Flex was great; we ran the project quickly and with no problems whatsoever. It’s fluid and easy to work with. Those banners were just shooting through production,” says McCall. “At the same time we did some trade show displays with the Display Film and LexJet 15 Mil PreLume Display Flex. That was nice too, because I didn’t get any de-lamination or call-backs on that project.”

Prestige Graphics recently moved into a new facility that provides more space and higher ceilings. “Just what you need for more wide-format work,” says McCall.