Feb. 25, 2008— Andrew Studney, the chief operating officer of Hatteras Press Inc., put it best when he said, "A 'Printer in Transition' is a printer who is wise enough to see the changing industry, then is able to adapt to the changes and grow. We are constantly listening to our customers' needs and focus our energy on exceeding our customers' expectations. It is an evolution that never ends."

That is the philosophy Hatteras Press, located in central New Jersey, has employed since it was founded in 1983 by Charles Duerr, who still owns the company and works there today. Rather than being content with the work and clients the firm has, Hatteras press is constantly looking forward to try and predict the next big technological leap—and then the firm tries to be ahead of the curve, instead of behind it. So in a sense, Hatteras Press is a printer in constant transition.

Expanding Core Services
Over the years, the company has grown, adding a variety of services and equipment to its core offset presses. Some of these include digital presses, a full-service mail center, lettershop capabilities, fulfillment services, online fulfillment and Web-to-print capabilities, bindery equipment, and, not to forget its roots, the latest sheetfed offset presses. In fact the company had grown and expanded so much, management consolidated two buildings into one state-of-the-art facility in 2006 to simply things.

"Digital technology has come on stronger in recent years," said Studney. "We support the revolution in the industry, and will continue to offer the unique and valuable services it can provide. We feel digital printing enhances many aspects of the conventional printing process. Many times we are combining our conventional and digital technologies to create a unique solution."

As part of the digital revolution, Studney noted, turnaround times have gotten considerably shorter. This isn't a problem unique to the print industry—with access to the Internet, smart phones, text messaging, e-mail, and other forms of technology, the world has gotten used to instant gratification. For print, this means finding ways to do the same jobs faster, with fewer errors, and for less cost.

Informed customers are more likely to make decisions based on factors other than strictly price.

Hatteras Press solved this problem by bringing it all in-house. For the firm, having complete control of the process from concept through finishing and fulfillment, allows it to ensure the company cannot only meet those new demands, but can do it while providing the same level of customer service it has offered in the past.
"The ability to provided a variety of services is important as turnaround time gets shorter and shorter. What used to allow for nine days, now is expected in six, or sometimes even three days, so the ability to manufacture a complete product, all in house is critical," Studney noted.

A Sensible Approach
And the company won't stop there, Studney says. Hatteras Press listens to its clients and looks to fill gaps and increase capabilities where it makes the most sense. "We are considering many areas for investment, including: digital inkjet technologies, wide-format offset, additional Web-to-print offerings, and fulfillment enhancements, as well as communication upgrades for faster responses to customers."

Hatteras Press currently employs eight full-time staff in its data processing department; the company is looking to increase resources there in the next six to 12 months, as well as expand its offerings.

In addition, the company is investing in communications improvements such as phone database reporting, email services, remote connections for after-hours access, remote connections for traveling personnel, and other improvements.

Just having advanced capabilities and services, however, isn't enough. Hatteras Press realized this early on and set about ensuring customers were educated about the company's technologies and capabilities. The company distributes a variety of marketing materials that have won awards, which are sent to both current and prospective clients. And the firm also offers a variety of educational seminars on hot topics in the graphic communications market—informed customers are more likely to make decisions based on factors other than strictly price.

Studney summed up his company's motivation for being a printer in transition in another to-the-point statement: "Those who resist change will fall behind; it's inevitable."