The Marsid-M&M Group boosts sales with strong Internet presence

New website attracts business and speeds production time.

Whether searching for the trendiest presents or cookbooks of the holiday season or after-the-holidays diet books, many people turn to the Internet for solutions. Because the Internet provides the answers to many searches, Sid Halpern and Barry Caputo, owners of The Marsid-M&M Group, a full-service commercial printer in Carle Place, New York, decided that print buyers would also turn to the Internet when looking for quality printing. Therefore, the company recently launched a new website (www.mmprint.com) that has boosted sales 55 percent, and simplified the production process.

"Our website provides customers with a more comprehensive set of online tools, such as the ability to submit multiple quotes at once, upload files via FTP, and send files directly to the press using our Direct-2-Press system," explains Cliff Krauter, marketing director.

Caputo adds, "Everyday we're getting hits to the website and we're getting online quotes. People are thrilled that we get back to them immediately with price quotes. The Internet is extremely competitive, so our job is that when they call us, we sell ourselves, and that's where we excel."

Halpern and Caputo opened The Marsid-M&M Group in June 2002, but have worked together on and off since 1973. Halpern began his printing career in the early 1970s when he started to print postcards on a mimeograph to promote his father's meat business. In 1973 he opened his own printing shop and hired Caputo as his first employee. Today, as partners, Halpern and Caputo run the printing company that operates five Ryobi presses, a RIPit Speedsetter computer-to-plate system, an Agfa Accuset 1000 imagesetter, an Epson Stylus Pro 9600 large-format printer, an Epson Stylus Pro 4000 digital printer, a Hewlett-Packard DesignJet 10PS Digital Proofer, and complete in-house bindery, mailing, and fulfillment departments.

Through the Web, the company receives orders ranging from 3000 door hangers to 50,000 high-end, 44-page booklets for a jewelry manufacturer. Another job included producing 5000 52-page catalogs that the client ordered from Washington D.C. and requested that Marsid-M&M ship to a convention in California. "This was a rush job that was ordered, produced, and delivered within days of the convention. The customer used the DTP driver and was extremely satisfied," says Krauter. "They are now a regular customer, and they've recommended us to other people."

Player magazine also found Marsid-M&M online when it needed 7500 color article reprints for a convention in Las Vegas in two days. The printer delivered the job on time. As a result, the client has requested printing for all of its business cards, posters, marketing materials, and more.

Technology improves efficiency

In addition to attracting new customers, the Internet helps streamline workflow. The printer encourages customers using PCs or unusual software programs to send their files to the DTP system because it reduces issues such as font problems. Using Symphony Workflow by RIPit Corporation enables the printer to place the files into a PDF workflow. As a result, the system creates digital proofs from the same PDF file it sends to the DTP printing system.

"Once the driver is installed at the customer's site, they just go to their print menu and it automatically converts their file into a print-ready file. We can go right to press with it, which also increases our efficiency because there's no time involved in manipulating the file," says Caputo. "We send them a PDF file or a hard copy and then go right to press with it. It's really streamlined the operation. The RIPit system and DTP have reduced our turnaround time and enabled us to give the customer an excellent quality piece. The RIPit system with its PerfectBlend hybrid screening technology provides 210 linescreen."

Today, about 90 percent of Marsid-M&M's new business comes in via the Web. And about 25 to 30 percent of the jobs are sent directly to the press from the website. Caputo concludes, "The technology edge combined with the personal touch keeps us moving forward."