March 7, 2005
Good impressions | A chat with David Wall, owner of The Applecart Press LLC in Brunswick.
By Dorothy Ogrodowczyk
Founded: April 2004
Employees: One
Startup costs: $50,000
Revenues, 2004: $10,000
Projected revenues, 2005: $80,000
Contact: 373-1690
14 Maine St., Brunswick
www.applecartpress.com
So you run a letterpress printing business. Tell me about the letterpress technique.
Letterpress printing was the primary means of printing until the late 60s or early 70s, but with the introduction of offset lithography, letterpress printing died out. With offset lithography, you print from plates with inked, recessed image areas. Letterpress printing is done from plates with inked, raised surfaces that are stamped into the paper. The [effect] is different than that glossy stuff you get with offset print. It's used for wedding invitations, birth announcements and limited-edition books.
With digital desktop publishing, it's possible to combine the letterpress technique with computer design and make photopolymer letterpress plates from digital files. That is what we use.
When did you first get the idea for the company?
I took a course called "The Handprinted Book" as an English major, and I went to grad school to study printing at Rochester Institute of Technology.
I didn't think it was possible to have a sustainable letterpress business, but I worked at other presses and kept a list of what I would do differently if I had my own business. Finally, my wife said, "Stop taking about it, and just do it!"
How did you finance the launch?
I borrowed money from a life insurance policy and I got a line of credit from Gardiner Savings Institution. I had purchased some equipment over the years, not intending to start my own business, but to have a shop in my basement.
What have you achieved since then?
I have about 10-15 clients, about half ongoing and half one-time clients, like for wedding invitations. I cater to graphic design firms and ad agencies, which make up about 70% of my clients. I get a fair amount of business from individuals, often referrals from my past employers and other printers who don't do small jobs.
How do you market your business?
Word of mouth seems to be the primary means that people hear about me. I sent out some promotional mailings, and I'm in the process of making sales calls. Being a small business, it's hard to keep that going while keeping the printing going.
The clients I'm going for are in Boston and in southern New England, and even into New York City. I've been pleased to discover there are many graphic design and ad agencies in Maine, so I've gotten quite a bit of business from Maine.
Where does the name come from?
I thought of several names, including Spaniel Press and Kestral Press, but I was cooking dinner one evening and a song came on by Iris Dement, "Hotter Than Mojave in My Heart." There's a line in there, "you really tipped my applecart." With the photopolymer technology I use, an update of old-time 19th century technology, I was tipping the applecart. From a visual standpoint, I liked the shape of the word. And it begins with A, so it would fall toward the beginning of listings.
What's your competition like and how do you differ?
There are less than 100 people around the country doing letterpress printing using old-fashioned metal type printing on 19th century and early 20th century machines. There are a few in the Northeast, but no one who's cornered the market. Lots of people do letterpress printing as a hobby out of their basements or garages [but] their pricing is not based on any business reality, and I've lost jobs to people who do it as a hobby.
What are your plans for growth?
I intend to have a larger press as soon as sales and funds allow, hopefully within the next year. That will allow me to be more economical in larger projects. I'd like to hire another person, so I'm not being pulled between production and trying to drum up sales.
You said you considered Spaniel Press as a name for your company. Are you a dog lover?
Yes. I have a dog named Grendel, [after a character in] Beowulf. I'm happy to say she's a German shorthaired pointer, like the dog that won Best in Show at the Westminster Kennel Club dog show in February.
New Entrepreneurs profiles young businesses, 6-18 months old. Send your suggestions and contact information to dorothyo@mainebiz.biz.
Employees: One
Startup costs: $50,000
Revenues, 2004: $10,000
Projected revenues, 2005: $80,000
Contact: 373-1690
14 Maine St., Brunswick
www.applecartpress.com
So you run a letterpress printing business. Tell me about the letterpress technique.
Letterpress printing was the primary means of printing until the late 60s or early 70s, but with the introduction of offset lithography, letterpress printing died out. With offset lithography, you print from plates with inked, recessed image areas. Letterpress printing is done from plates with inked, raised surfaces that are stamped into the paper. The [effect] is different than that glossy stuff you get with offset print. It's used for wedding invitations, birth announcements and limited-edition books.
With digital desktop publishing, it's possible to combine the letterpress technique with computer design and make photopolymer letterpress plates from digital files. That is what we use.
When did you first get the idea for the company?
I took a course called "The Handprinted Book" as an English major, and I went to grad school to study printing at Rochester Institute of Technology.
I didn't think it was possible to have a sustainable letterpress business, but I worked at other presses and kept a list of what I would do differently if I had my own business. Finally, my wife said, "Stop taking about it, and just do it!"
How did you finance the launch?
I borrowed money from a life insurance policy and I got a line of credit from Gardiner Savings Institution. I had purchased some equipment over the years, not intending to start my own business, but to have a shop in my basement.
What have you achieved since then?
I have about 10-15 clients, about half ongoing and half one-time clients, like for wedding invitations. I cater to graphic design firms and ad agencies, which make up about 70% of my clients. I get a fair amount of business from individuals, often referrals from my past employers and other printers who don't do small jobs.
How do you market your business?
Word of mouth seems to be the primary means that people hear about me. I sent out some promotional mailings, and I'm in the process of making sales calls. Being a small business, it's hard to keep that going while keeping the printing going.
The clients I'm going for are in Boston and in southern New England, and even into New York City. I've been pleased to discover there are many graphic design and ad agencies in Maine, so I've gotten quite a bit of business from Maine.
Where does the name come from?
I thought of several names, including Spaniel Press and Kestral Press, but I was cooking dinner one evening and a song came on by Iris Dement, "Hotter Than Mojave in My Heart." There's a line in there, "you really tipped my applecart." With the photopolymer technology I use, an update of old-time 19th century technology, I was tipping the applecart. From a visual standpoint, I liked the shape of the word. And it begins with A, so it would fall toward the beginning of listings.
What's your competition like and how do you differ?
There are less than 100 people around the country doing letterpress printing using old-fashioned metal type printing on 19th century and early 20th century machines. There are a few in the Northeast, but no one who's cornered the market. Lots of people do letterpress printing as a hobby out of their basements or garages [but] their pricing is not based on any business reality, and I've lost jobs to people who do it as a hobby.
What are your plans for growth?
I intend to have a larger press as soon as sales and funds allow, hopefully within the next year. That will allow me to be more economical in larger projects. I'd like to hire another person, so I'm not being pulled between production and trying to drum up sales.
You said you considered Spaniel Press as a name for your company. Are you a dog lover?
Yes. I have a dog named Grendel, [after a character in] Beowulf. I'm happy to say she's a German shorthaired pointer, like the dog that won Best in Show at the Westminster Kennel Club dog show in February.
New Entrepreneurs profiles young businesses, 6-18 months old. Send your suggestions and contact information to dorothyo@mainebiz.biz.
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