www.whitegraphics.com
www.whitegraphics.com

White Graphics has been quite active this year, as the company has added equipment and expanded to a new, state-of-the-art facility. White Graphics has just completed the move to a 20,000 square-foot space in Naperville, IL, USA, allowing the company to increase operational efficiency. Additionally, White Graphics purchased its second Xeikon digital label press – this time a Xeikon CX300 – to continue meeting customer demand for short-run labels and packaging.

The increased activity is the culmination of what has been a prosperous 50 years at White Graphics. In 1971, Dick White Sr. established White Graphics in his garage, equipped with little more than a camera, dark room and light tables. He had a vision for a packaging company, though.

Printing became a family business for the Whites. Dick’s sons, Rich Jr. and Mike, joined as full-time employees, assisting Dick as he worked at a company called Pioneer Press full-time. At White Graphics, they shot PMTs, halftones and line art, stripping film for local businesses. In 1997, Rich White Jr. bought American Manifold Corporation in Downers Grove, changing the name to AMC White Graphics. In 2000, Dick’s grandson, Andrew, came aboard after receiving valuable experience at other printing companies in the area.

Even in the company’s infancy, the Whites saw the value of short-run printing. “My father, Rich White Jr., has always had a strong interest in low volume packaging,” says Andrew. “Prior to my joining the company, he had purchased a Heidelberg GTO, which was a small sheet-size offset press geared toward short runs. We would print cartons, labels, clings and POP items on it. Fast forward to 2007, the press is long gone and business grew in other areas until the recession hit. Although we did not lose clients, there was not much work. One of our clients tasked us with creating a rapid prototype of a corrugated display, and the rest is history.”

White Graphics soon purchased the first Roland VersaUV LEC-300 that was delivered to the US. The team quickly became very good at producing packaging mockups and prototypes. The company’s prowess in digital printing paved the way for a fruitful relationship with Xeikon. White Graphics installed a Xeikon 3030 in early March, 2020 – right before the onset of the pandemic. After Covid impacted the launch of the new press, the company soon realized a need for a digital press that could handle longer runs as job sizes increased. The stage was set for an investment in the new CX300.

“Going with Xeikon was an easy decision,” explains Andrew. “The benefits that attracted us to Xeikon were the high quality of print, opacity of the white, food-safe toner, color management, the versatility of the machine, and also the pricing model. Working with Xeikon has been great, too. Their training program is comprehensive and the support team has been wonderful to work with.”

White Graphics’ expertise lies within providing short runs for the food and CPG segments. Plus, the Xeikon CX300 uses the new Cheetah toner, which allows for printing on unsupported films. According to Andrew, the company might look into in-house production of pouches in the future. White Graphics specializes in short-run packaging with a focus on mockups and sales samples, including shrink sleeves, folding cartons, stand-up pouches, corrugated displays and pressure sensitive labels in ultra-low volumes. Xeikon has helped White Graphics deliver vibrant colors and crisp lines for every type of retail product label, from one color barcode labels to full color decorative product labels.

The company also boasts a G7 accredited facility, which is certified annually. In addition to its capabilities with Xeikon, White Graphics has a collection of wide-format printers – both UV and solvent – UV flatbeds and cutting tables.

“We are no strangers to hand assembly, kitting and fulfillment,” comments Andrew. “We have strategic supplier partners, many of which are 20-plus year relationships, which allow for us to source components of projects that we are unable to produce internally. These long-term relationships provide confidence that our partners will deliver on time with a product that we are certain will meet our clients’ expectations.”

White Graphics has long gone above and beyond to meet and surpass those client expectations. The company’s wide range of capabilities assists in providing tailor-made solutions for its customers.

“Our philosophy is to do ‘whatever it takes,’ especially when it comes to delivering jobs on time,” says Andrew. “We are hard wired down to our DNA to deliver projects on time. From racing to the airport to catch the very last FedEx drop-off, to pulling all-nighters, to personally catching the last flight out to ensure delivery of a job the following morning, we will do whatever needs to be done to get the job delivered when promised.”

This has been made possible by a dedicated staff that is committed to customer service. The employees have also been cross-trained, enabling them to assist customers in numerous areas. “We’re very agile,” remarks Andrew. “While we have our assigned roles, the employees wear different hats when needed and help each other as a team to get the jobs shipped on time. We care about our work and take pride in what we do.”

White Graphics’ timeliness, as it was years ago, is predicated on the value of short runs. “Digital printing is the key to our agility,” adds Andrew. “If it wasn’t for the fast setup, low waste and versatility associated with digital printing, we simply would not be able to do what we do best, which is deliver a high-quality product, on time, every time.”

In the short-term future, White Graphics will continue settling into its new headquarters. “The new facility enables all of White Graphics to be under one roof, increases our workflow and productivity as we can place complementary equipment in one area, rather than separated into multiple areas as we were in our last facility. Printing and finishing are in one line, too. And our new Xeikon CX300 really enhances the overall productivity of our operation.”