TEXTILES.ORG
By Lou Dzierzak
Thirteen years ago, Color-X of New York, N.Y., was producing large-format C-prints for corporate clients. By watching, listening, and reacting to customer needs, Color-X’s business has expanded into new printing and substrate technologies.
“In the beginning we had a proprietary inkjet printer that printed on rigid materials before flatbed printers were introduced,” recalls president Gary Teich. “We were printing on tiles, wood, and metal over 10 years ago. The quality was nowhere near what it is today but it was something no one was doing so it generated a lot of interest.”
As clients became more aware of what could be done, Color-X responded with new equipment and capabilities such as grand-format digital print technology. Today Color-X offers an array of printing services including dye sublimation, direct digital printing to rigid substrates, ultra-wide inkjet printing, digital C-prints, and screen printing.
Adopting new technologies like large-format and digital printing has opened new doors for Color-X. “We definitely got into markets we typically weren’t involved with,” Teich explains. “We work with architects, corporate clients, retailers, museums, exhibit houses, event companies, and designers. It’s definitely opened the doors for a lot of unique projects.” Some of those unique projects include a wallscape for New York City’s Museum of Modern Art and numerous exhibits for the city’s American Museum of Natural History.
While some clients hire Color-X to execute ideas, many others come to the company hoping to take advantage of its experience and expertise. “In many instances they come to us with a concept and they leave it up to us to offer a solution,” Teich explains. “Just with a basic concept, we will go to work creating prototypes. We take it from the idea to the finished application.”
Paying attention to customer service has paid long-term dividends. Business comes from a steady stream of referrals and recommendations. “It’s a small industry and people move around. They seem to bring us with them and that’s grown our business,” notes Teich.
New printing technology has been among the keys to being able to meet customer demands. “We can do almost anything,” Teich says. “We can print on materials that weren’t possible five years ago.”