Anthony Locicero, Associate Editor09.17.19
After graduating high school in 1979, John Place joined his mother’s typesetting company. At the time, there were only three employees.
She worked internally while he handled sales.
“Mom was a people person,” Place recalled.
The company later became Mercury Print Productions, which is currently located in a 180,000-square-foot facility in Rochester, NY.
The founder retired 12 years ago but the son, currently the company’s CEO, has carried on the tradition.
“We went from being a commercial printer” to getting “involved with educational companies,” Place said.
Mercury prints text books and learning materials for companies such as McGraw Hill and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
The CEO said there’s “no need” for sales people on that side of the business as it offers “spectacular customer service.”
Business was booming in the 1990s when Mercury opened up an 80,000-square-foot facility in 1991 with 30 Xerox iGen printers on the floor.
“We were doing $15 million in sales then lost $7 million after 9/11,” Place said.
Regarding his approach afterwards, Place noted, “I think you have to get into other markets.
“I’m not saying to get out of commercial printing,” he continued, “but you need something else.”
Mercury, which offers digital printing and offset printing capabilities – along with bindery and finishing – wants to enter the packaging sector and believes it is well-positioned to do so after the installation of a Landa S10P, a 41-inch press that prints 6,500 sheets per hour.
“This press is going to change the way we do business,” he told attendees during a June 27 open house for media members that included a live demonstration of the machine.
“There are so many applications for this press,” Place said. “All the bright colors are sticking out a lot more. The greens and the blues are just popping off the sheet. We see ourselves purchasing another one.”
Felix Medero, Mercury’s director of process development, was wowed by the consistency from start to finish on the print jobs – especially compared to toner.
“There’s very, very little movement,” he noted. “The color is out of the box. We have not profiled that machine to the paper yet. There’s been no characterization yet.”
Both Place and Medero said the new addition will eliminate the need for a toner machine.
“This allow us to be dynamic from a production standpoint,” the process development director said. “We’re merging two worlds: offset and digital.”
The Landa S10P incorporates Nanography, a Landa developed technology using nanoparticles. Nano-ink is characterized by ultra-thin dots of extremely high uniformity (0.5 microns), according to Nachum Korman, GM, Americas at Landa.
Place said his company also plans to install a web press – a $25 million investment – next year and look into wide format printing as well.
“We utilize technology to the fullest extent,” the CEO said.
He said the company is doing around $54 million in sales and hopes to hit $100 million after adding the web press.
Mercury has also begun exploring augmented reality, virtual reality and 3D printing.
The company has an 80,000-square-foot bindery and finishing department.
Mercury even provides CD and/or DVD duplication. It offers screen or inkjet printing and has two Epson PP-100AP Inkjet CD/DVD Printers.Additionally, Mercury’s HQ has 30,000 square feet for warehousing and fulfillment.
The company credits its success to its “STRIVE” motto – Service, Trust, Relationship, Innovation, Value, Excellence.
In addition to the Landa S10P, the business uses Epson, HP, Heidelberg, Kodak and Xerox machines, among others.
Mercury printed wide format posters for the Rochester Jazz Festival, which took place around the time of the open house.
She worked internally while he handled sales.
“Mom was a people person,” Place recalled.
The company later became Mercury Print Productions, which is currently located in a 180,000-square-foot facility in Rochester, NY.
The founder retired 12 years ago but the son, currently the company’s CEO, has carried on the tradition.
“We went from being a commercial printer” to getting “involved with educational companies,” Place said.
Mercury prints text books and learning materials for companies such as McGraw Hill and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
The CEO said there’s “no need” for sales people on that side of the business as it offers “spectacular customer service.”
Business was booming in the 1990s when Mercury opened up an 80,000-square-foot facility in 1991 with 30 Xerox iGen printers on the floor.
“We were doing $15 million in sales then lost $7 million after 9/11,” Place said.
Regarding his approach afterwards, Place noted, “I think you have to get into other markets.
“I’m not saying to get out of commercial printing,” he continued, “but you need something else.”
Mercury, which offers digital printing and offset printing capabilities – along with bindery and finishing – wants to enter the packaging sector and believes it is well-positioned to do so after the installation of a Landa S10P, a 41-inch press that prints 6,500 sheets per hour.
“This press is going to change the way we do business,” he told attendees during a June 27 open house for media members that included a live demonstration of the machine.
“There are so many applications for this press,” Place said. “All the bright colors are sticking out a lot more. The greens and the blues are just popping off the sheet. We see ourselves purchasing another one.”
Felix Medero, Mercury’s director of process development, was wowed by the consistency from start to finish on the print jobs – especially compared to toner.
“There’s very, very little movement,” he noted. “The color is out of the box. We have not profiled that machine to the paper yet. There’s been no characterization yet.”
Both Place and Medero said the new addition will eliminate the need for a toner machine.
“This allow us to be dynamic from a production standpoint,” the process development director said. “We’re merging two worlds: offset and digital.”
The Landa S10P incorporates Nanography, a Landa developed technology using nanoparticles. Nano-ink is characterized by ultra-thin dots of extremely high uniformity (0.5 microns), according to Nachum Korman, GM, Americas at Landa.
Place said his company also plans to install a web press – a $25 million investment – next year and look into wide format printing as well.
“We utilize technology to the fullest extent,” the CEO said.
He said the company is doing around $54 million in sales and hopes to hit $100 million after adding the web press.
Mercury has also begun exploring augmented reality, virtual reality and 3D printing.
The company has an 80,000-square-foot bindery and finishing department.
Mercury even provides CD and/or DVD duplication. It offers screen or inkjet printing and has two Epson PP-100AP Inkjet CD/DVD Printers.Additionally, Mercury’s HQ has 30,000 square feet for warehousing and fulfillment.
The company credits its success to its “STRIVE” motto – Service, Trust, Relationship, Innovation, Value, Excellence.
In addition to the Landa S10P, the business uses Epson, HP, Heidelberg, Kodak and Xerox machines, among others.
Mercury printed wide format posters for the Rochester Jazz Festival, which took place around the time of the open house.
