Bringing Business Back to Life at Asheville Color and Imaging
Asheville Color and Imaging | Asheville, North Carolina
Asheville Color and Imaging CEO and Owner Jeffrey Jones was just as shocked as every other employee when, in 2013, the large national printing organization he worked for decided that their Asheville, North Carolina office wasn’t part of their future, shut the lights off, and told everyone to go home. Finding himself back on the job market with few options in sight, Jones decided to open his own print company.
We talked with Jeffrey about how he brought the company back, how they have managed through COVID-19, and how they keep their promises to clients – every day.
Seeing everyone around you lose their jobs must have been quite a shock. Tell us why you chose to start Asheville Color and Imaging.
Jeffrey Jones: It was a shock. I spent some time trying to figure out employment options, and finally just decided to start a new company myself. I still wanted to be able to provide print services to our clients. I walked a few computers and some printing equipment into an office and hit the ground running.
How would you describe your business today?
We cover nearly everything that a business customer would need, enabling us to be a true “one stop” shop for our clients. We run a variety of departments that include small-format, large-format, graphic design, reprographics, finishing, fine art, digitizing and dye- sublimation.
What equipment do you use for your digital print production?
We’ve been using Roland DG printers for years. In fact, a Roland DG machine was one of the first printers we brought into the shop. Quality and functionality are of utmost importance to us, and their inkjets have always provided both.
When the new TruVIS VG2-540 came out, we decided that purchasing one of these next-generation printer/cutters would be a great move to freshen up our print/cut capabilities. Print quality, crispness and the real color “pop” with the True Rich Color presets have brought some of the applications we’re running to a new level.
With the word “color” in the name of your company, you have to make sure you do it very well. The TR2 inks with the Orange option have been a great addition for us – they’ve really expanded the color gamut, opening up new creative opportunities.
What types of applications are you most often running on your VG2?
We’re running a variety of vinyl media on a daily basis, including PSV, scrim banner, wall papers, window perf, reflective, car vinyl, and floor graphic materials. We use these to produce signs, banners, posters, custom vinyl graphics, vehicle graphics, and wall, window and floor graphics.
Please describe your client base. Where are they located?
Being located here in the middle of the Blue Ridge Mountains of Western North Carolina, we have clientele of every shape and size. Because of our wide versatility, we regularly see print needs from restaurants, event companies, healthcare, retail stores, construction companies, architects, artists, photographers, manufacturers and marketing firms, just to name a few.
With our ability to print and ship, we not only take care of clients locally and state-wide, but in neighboring states and across the country as well.
Take us through a job that you’ve done recently that came out particularly well.
We had a food truck owner come to us wanting brand new graphics. His truck had been recently custom painted, so the color fidelity and matching had to be spot on. The experience he had previously with a competitive print company was not good – that company just couldn’t get the colors close enough or achieve the desired vibrancy. Timing was critical, as the graphics needed to be completed the upcoming weekend. The VG2-540 hit the colors with amazing accuracy, while flawlessly printing and cutting exactly what we needed.
How has COVID-19 affected your business?
Like most businesses these days, we’re feeling the pinch. Here in Asheville there are typically local festivals and events nearly every week that draw big crowds. Since COVID-19, these events have been flat-lined, which has cut back on our normal business volume.
During the initial nationwide shutdown, I furloughed my staff for six weeks, although as an essential business, we remained open. It required me to run all aspects of the business and production with the intent to make it through to the other side.
Since then, I have my full staff back, and we continue to ride out these crazy times one day and one month at a time.
What do you see coming next for Asheville Color and Imaging?
Over the years, we’ve managed to capture more and more of the local printing market. That growth has been the result of our core focus on exceptional customer service, creative solutions, attention to detail, prompt turn times, and the quality that allows us to deliver a “wow factor” for our clients.
As we continue to grow and expand, we expect to rely on the quality and functionality of the VG2 to help elevate our company to a higher level.
We talked with Jeffrey about how he brought the company back, how they have managed through COVID-19, and how they keep their promises to clients – every day.
Seeing everyone around you lose their jobs must have been quite a shock. Tell us why you chose to start Asheville Color and Imaging.
Jeffrey Jones: It was a shock. I spent some time trying to figure out employment options, and finally just decided to start a new company myself. I still wanted to be able to provide print services to our clients. I walked a few computers and some printing equipment into an office and hit the ground running.
“The TR2 inks with the Orange option have been a great addition for us – they’ve really expanded the color gamut, opening up new creative opportunities.”
After two years, we needed to expand. We moved into a larger 7,500-square-foot facility and have had continued steady growth every single year after that. We have a staff of six very talented individuals that allows us to produce healthy volumes and quick turn times without skimping on quality.How would you describe your business today?
We cover nearly everything that a business customer would need, enabling us to be a true “one stop” shop for our clients. We run a variety of departments that include small-format, large-format, graphic design, reprographics, finishing, fine art, digitizing and dye- sublimation.
What equipment do you use for your digital print production?
We’ve been using Roland DG printers for years. In fact, a Roland DG machine was one of the first printers we brought into the shop. Quality and functionality are of utmost importance to us, and their inkjets have always provided both.
When the new TruVIS VG2-540 came out, we decided that purchasing one of these next-generation printer/cutters would be a great move to freshen up our print/cut capabilities. Print quality, crispness and the real color “pop” with the True Rich Color presets have brought some of the applications we’re running to a new level.
With the word “color” in the name of your company, you have to make sure you do it very well. The TR2 inks with the Orange option have been a great addition for us – they’ve really expanded the color gamut, opening up new creative opportunities.
What types of applications are you most often running on your VG2?
We’re running a variety of vinyl media on a daily basis, including PSV, scrim banner, wall papers, window perf, reflective, car vinyl, and floor graphic materials. We use these to produce signs, banners, posters, custom vinyl graphics, vehicle graphics, and wall, window and floor graphics.
Please describe your client base. Where are they located?
Being located here in the middle of the Blue Ridge Mountains of Western North Carolina, we have clientele of every shape and size. Because of our wide versatility, we regularly see print needs from restaurants, event companies, healthcare, retail stores, construction companies, architects, artists, photographers, manufacturers and marketing firms, just to name a few.
With our ability to print and ship, we not only take care of clients locally and state-wide, but in neighboring states and across the country as well.
Take us through a job that you’ve done recently that came out particularly well.
We had a food truck owner come to us wanting brand new graphics. His truck had been recently custom painted, so the color fidelity and matching had to be spot on. The experience he had previously with a competitive print company was not good – that company just couldn’t get the colors close enough or achieve the desired vibrancy. Timing was critical, as the graphics needed to be completed the upcoming weekend. The VG2-540 hit the colors with amazing accuracy, while flawlessly printing and cutting exactly what we needed.
How has COVID-19 affected your business?
Like most businesses these days, we’re feeling the pinch. Here in Asheville there are typically local festivals and events nearly every week that draw big crowds. Since COVID-19, these events have been flat-lined, which has cut back on our normal business volume.
During the initial nationwide shutdown, I furloughed my staff for six weeks, although as an essential business, we remained open. It required me to run all aspects of the business and production with the intent to make it through to the other side.
Since then, I have my full staff back, and we continue to ride out these crazy times one day and one month at a time.
What do you see coming next for Asheville Color and Imaging?
Over the years, we’ve managed to capture more and more of the local printing market. That growth has been the result of our core focus on exceptional customer service, creative solutions, attention to detail, prompt turn times, and the quality that allows us to deliver a “wow factor” for our clients.
As we continue to grow and expand, we expect to rely on the quality and functionality of the VG2 to help elevate our company to a higher level.