May 15, 2006—On June 28, 1938, a print shop officially incorporated in New York City. It had an unusual start—the owner was given the keys as payment of a depression debt. Harry Samuels found himself the proud recipient of a press and its home, which he and his subsequent heirs have grown into a multimillion-dollar entity.

Today, Pictorial Offset Corp. is based in Carlsdat, N.J., and is run by Lester, Donald, and Gary Samuels, managing partners and grandsons of the original founder. Each has his own area of expertise, and together they have doubled their business in the past five years alone. If that was not enough, they and their company are very active in social and environmental issues, taking the view that if someone makes a difference, others will soon follow. These qualities and more make them the perfect choice for Printing News’ 2005 Printer of the Year award.

Each year, a print shop from the New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, or Pennsylvania regions that demonstrates newsworthy, significant achievements, is selected by the staff and Advisory Board of Printing News. Not only does the award recognize accomplishments in business, it also goes to the person or people who demonstrate leadership, social responsibility, and who have an eye on the future of the industry.

“Our success is truly based on our corporate values,” says Lester Samuels. “Those primary corporate values are: our passion for client satisfaction; our quality focus; environmental sustainability; corporate social responsibility; and the education process.”

“The past few years have been challenging for many of us in the printing and graphic communications industry,” says Michael Zerner, publisher, Printing News. “Challenge often brings change and creates opportunity. The Samuels family and Pictorial Offset stand out for their ability to not only survive, but thrive, in today’s environment. Their achievements are numerous. They have created many opportunities with forward-thinking leadership. These extend beyond our industry through their myriad philanthropic efforts.”

Giving Back
One of the ways the Samuels brothers formalized their environmental and safety projects was to achieve and adhere to ISO standards. They note that it gives the company more of a process control and focus, and keeps everyone thinking the same way. In addition, the certifications—the firm is the first printer to obtain two different ISO registrations—allow Pictorial to document what they are doing, as well as give it a more official bearing, coming from a third party.

“In terms of the ISO,” says Donald Samuels, “it was a way to document and be certified by outside forces that we were conscious of the environment, we did practice what we preach in relation to the environment, and we did have an outside body that certified it to our clients who were interested in it. It has allowed us process control, to be even more responsible in our actions and our recycling capabilities, and disposal of our materials. Although the dual ISO wasn’t the originating spark for Pictorial’s environmental initiatives, it did reinforce our commitment, and allow us a process to go through to have even greater impact.”

They...take the view that if someone makes a difference, others will soon follow.

Certifications are only the beginning of their work, however. The company donates time and money to a wide range of charities, including the Michael J. Fox Foundation; National Liberty Museum; Association of Graphic Communication; Youth Consultation Services; Rainforest Alliance; American Cancer Society; Make-a-Wish Foundation; Partnership in Print Production; Ad Production Club of New York; and Philadelphia Ad Club.

Outside of charity work, the Samuels wanted to give back to their 300-plus employees. They created an environment where education is part of daily life. Pictorial University allows them to share knowledge with the industry at large, their clients, and their employees.

“We believe it is important to share our knowledge of what is currently going on in our industry, and future trends,” notes Lester. “By leading with Pictorial University—which is part of our client focus, as well as our ISO focus—it enables us to contribute to the entire lives of our employees and our clients by not focusing just on work-related issues but also on life-related issues. We have a segment called Life Works, where we bring in guest speakers to teach us how to lead a more balanced life, how to set our priorities, to give us more fulfilment out of our lives.”

Looking Forward
The brothers are always looking ahead, with initiatives like Pictorial University and the ISO registrations giving form to their ambitions. However, they do not focus on social and environmental issues at the expense of graphic arts. They watch the immediate trends in the industry as closely as everything else. An upcoming Pictorial University session will feature partner company X-Rite looking at color management and color calibration, and how remote proofing is changing the face of prepress.

Pictorial is focused on that catch-phrase floating around the industry—solution selling. They note that a shop can no longer provide print alone. “Everything we have talked about started out with ‘design to destination.’ That is part of the solution; the all-encompassing goal of Pictorial is to provide solutions to clients. The time of being just a printer has long past,” says Lester.

“When we talk about design to destination,” explains Gary Samuels, “we’re talking about the ability to do on-site retouching, Internet solutions, and communicating and tracking jobs throughout the entire process. We also have the back-end services we offer a la carte to our clients—finishing, binding, and mailing. Even kitting services—putting together different elements of the campaign—we can do the hand-gluing and pull it all together, then mail it. We have a fleet of trucks, too. The value of that for our clients is that they no longer lose that time shipping from one place to another to have another function performed. It can be done all under one roof. You save a lot of time and a lot of cost.”

A Bit of Advice
The brothers Samuels are ever-ready to share their perspective and knowledge; they offer this advice: look at the long-term, not the short-term. They note that you cannot run a business by looking only at the short-term costs and profits. The way to be successful is to plan ahead and think of the future. Do not focus on quarterly profits at the expense of long-term sustainability.

To be in the graphic arts business, you have to have passion. “If you don’t have a passion [for printing], don’t bother. You won’t succeed,” notes Donald. This is a hard industry, but one that carries great rewards.” Pictorial Offset shows that it is possible to find business success alongside social and environmental achievements, proving they are the complete package deal.