Commercial Printing Case Study Lehr & Black

COMPANY Lehr & Black

BUSINESS SEGMENT Commercial Printing

PRODUCTS C942 CMYK+White Digital Production Printer

CHALLENGE High-profile clientele require unique top-quality production that can be completed ultra-fast

SOLUTION Digital CMYK+White production printer in-house for rich white and vivid color on dark media

C942

OKI Data Americas’ digital color printer is proving to be revolutionary.As one of the longest-standing and best-known invitationers in Los Angeles, Lehr & Black strives to remain at the forefront of creative and technological frontiers.

With speed and efficient turnaround times becoming redefined in the print industry, the company’s high-profile, celebrity clientele demand nothing less — shorter run lengths, design and personalization, and top-quality production. Today, businesses in the industry focus on completing a project in minutes or hours, not days.

Recognizing this, Lehr & Black recently discovered a remarkable solution in the C942 digital color printer from OKI Data Americas.

A LEGACY OF SERVICEFounded nearly 40 years ago, the business started from modest beginnings with Marcia Lehr addressing envelopes by hand for five cents apiece. Today, Lehr & Black is led by Marcia’s son and daughter, Sol Lehr and Ellen Black.

Their shop creates custom invitations and event décor for high-profile and celebrity clientele including Jennifer Lopez, Eva Longoria and Shaquille O’Neal.

Most of their design work is original. Black works with each client to ensure material design, and Lehr manages the timely and high-quality production of the projects. The results are unique, custom works of art, for which the team has earned its reputation for creativity and superior craftsmanship.

A GROWING NEED FOR CHANGING TIMESLehr & Black’s creative designs often incorporate white printing and color printing on colored papers, envelopes and card stocks – all of which demanded outsourcing, adding to production time and costs. “In this industry, event planners often demand quick turnaround times and exacting standards,” said Lehr. “Things have progressed in our industry to a very hurried pace.”

Although Lehr & Black enjoys long-standing relationships with professional print shops who facilitate the production process, the need for on-demand, short-run print jobs incorporating white-on-

color and color-on-color printing continues to increase. These trends are a reflection of both the evolution of design and integration of digital printing technology.

With a process that is time-consuming and sometimes cost prohibitive, Lehr & Black needed a solution – something that would allow the company to keep projects in-house and save time while reducing production costs.

AN INNOVATIVE AND FRESH APPROACHThe team heard about a new digital color printer that could print white and print color on colored paper and different media types. With this in mind, they attended an industry tradeshow and went in search of this solution. There, Lehr & Black found the C942 from OKI Data Americas with its original CMYK + white configuration.

High-End Invitationer Is All About The White-On-Colored Stock

The C942 delivers unprecedented media capabilities and is a groundbreaking device that can handle a range of media, including heavyweight stock up to 360 gsm, polyester, plus magnets and banners.

The C942 is an advanced piece of technology that represents a new generation of digital production printing devices. As it stands, OKI is filling a void in the industry with a dynamic device that allows users to expand their printing and presentation capabilities.

For the digital printing industry, the ability to print using white has revolutionized the business. White ink has provided the opportunity for print shop owners to expand their offerings to include printed design on dark-colored and unusual substrates to create unique and special-effect pieces.

“We had been looking for something just like this. There was nothing else like it at the show or in the market,” said Lehr, who met with Chris Halliday, owner of J.E. Halliday Sales in Huntington Beach, Calif., at the tradeshow. Halliday demonstrated the C942 for Lehr & Black, showing its array of printing and media-handling capabilities.

Halliday installed the C942 at Lehr & Black after the show, providing Lehr with training on using the device, including its optional EFI® Fiery® C9 Server. The server helps to optimize the five-color and envelope printing functionality of the C942, further increasing output quality, productivity and profitability.

“We get a lot of rush jobs. With this printer, we are

able to quickly turn them around and

move on to the next job. The C942 is really

everything we expected it to be and more.”

~ Sol Lehr

©2016 Oki Data Americas, Inc. OKI Reg. T.M., Oki Electric Industry Co., Ltd.

REAPING THE BENEFITS OF IN-HOUSE PRODUCTIONJobs that previously had to be outsourced and took days to produce can now be created in the Lehr & Black shop in a matter of hours. And rather than costing thousands of dollars, they now cost hundreds without sacrificing quality. Lehr & Black is thrilled with the print quality and variety of materials the device is capable of producing.

“We get a lot of rush jobs,” said Lehr. “With this printer, we are able to quickly turn them around and move on to the next job. The C942 is really everything we expected it to be and more.”

The C942 is providing Lehr & Black new opportunities to differentiate itself within the marketplace and deliver high-value output while saving time and money. According to Lehr & Black, with the integration of the C942 into its business, the company can quickly and easily print materials and high-impact designs that it could never before print in-house.

PRINT FOR PROFIT — CREATING THE FUTURE OF DIGITAL PRINTINGThe C942 digital color printer, with its crisp, vivid quality, from OKI Data Americas helps customers transform their businesses. Offering a true competitive advantage, its unique printing capabilities range from simple full-color print on white paper to white and/or full color printing on vibrant colored stocks – including invitations, envelopes, table cards, signs and much more.

OKI Data is on the forefront of new and exciting technology. Its solutions open up new markets for print providers, delivering greater profitability and maintaining the high-quality products their customers expect.

For Lehr & Black, the new printer is proving to be a tremendous asset and a great value – providing opportunities to generate new revenue streams, to greatly enhance the shop’s in-house production capabilities and to further the business’s reputation in a competitive market.

High-End Invitationer Is All About The White-On-Colored Stock

Lehr & Black’s invitation design studio and print shop in Los Angeles.