A PARTNER YOU CAN TRUST

Greg Fox, Jr. knows the term “game changer” is one you use only when the decisions you make and the people you make them with are worthy of the praise. And there he was with his Fox Press team marveling over their decision to add Fujifilm’s Acuity Prime 30 into its portfolio mix. While Fox Press has used eco-solvent machines in the past, the Acuity Prime 30’s ability to print on almost any substrate—combined with its ability to immediately dry—is, well, a game changer.

Greg, President of Fox Press, is quick to admit that the compliment is saying something, since the Hammond, Louisiana, printer is steeped in print history with family ties dating back to the 1680s. In fact, Greg’s 10th great grandfather delivered the first printing press to the colony of Maryland (more on that later).

Today, Fox Press is a commercial printer and educational publishing company featuring a team of print, customer service, information technology, and design and accounting professionals providing best-in-class printing presses and the latest in prepress technology. “We make all sorts of new products that help our customers achieve their communication, education and branding goals,” Greg says. “We’re putting in equipment, software and personnel to offer more products to our existing customer base, and those investments are opening up new sources of revenue that were previously out of reach or hidden to us.”

Fox Press’ new wide format offering is an example of the printer’s commitment to expanding its capabilities to its customers. That also includes its commitment to investing in the equipment with automation needed to produce faster setup and run times, better quality and efficiency.

Enter the Acuity Prime 30. The true flatbed delivers exceptional quality, speed and efficiency, and is capable of printing on a range of rigid and flexible media. Supported by five dedicated vacuum zones and a jettable primer, its flatbed design features media registration pins, which ensures accurate registration for edgeto-edge printing and tiling for large layouts over multiple boards—even with multiple print passes.

“Having Prime 30 has opened up the signage and wide-format market in our commercial print and publishing divisions—both locally and nationally,” Greg says.” It has turned into a growth profit center for us. Right now, we are looking forward to adding the second and third shifts—and maybe a second and third press.”

Over the last 40 years, Fox Press and Fujifilm have built an ironclad partnership, especially as its primary prepress and press room supplier for the last 10 years. “We couldn’t be happier,” Greg says. “Fujifilm has been there for us whenever we’ve needed it. They have been flexible, proactive and attentive. The tech support we’ve received over the years has been fantastic. My Fujifilm sales representatives are more than just salespeople, they truly are great resources. They are a valued partner.”

As the business landscape continues to rebound in a post-pandemic environment, today’s printers are facing solid competition at every turn. In a time of aggressive pricing and evolving technologies, Greg says the key remains focusing on having the right people, equipment and customer service to win the battles.

“We try our best to make sure that every one of our customers is not only happy with their products, but that they come away feeling like they’ve gotten world-class service,” Fox says. “Printing is custom manufacturing, and that means there are sometimes challenges. We bend over backward to keep our customers informed and satisfied. This might sound a little cliched, but our strategy is to provide quality products, deliver on time, offer fair and transparent pricing, and utilize proactive sales and customer service. That’s no secret, but it has been a successful recipe so far.”

If you ask Greg Fox to outline the blueprint every printer should follow for success, he is quick to mention finding the right partners. In an industry defined by its continual innovative accomplishments, matching the right solution with the right partner is critical.

By the time Captain John Fox, the commander of the merchant sailing ship the White Horse and Currycombe, delivered the first printing press from England to Virginia in the 1680s, the next king-appointed governor, Lord Culpepper, refused to allow it to stay there. A British Royal Order was issued that “no person be permitted to use any press for printing upon any occasion whatsoever” in Virginia. The British king’s appointed governor of the Virginia colony, Sir William Berkeley, vehemently denounced the printing press, saying, among other things, that there shall be “no free schools nor printing…for learning has brought disobedience and heresy, and sects into the world, and printing has divulged them.” are publishers that provide valuable advertising services to the businesses and communities they serve. As Greg looks at the road ahead, he sees a future much brighter than that first press sent packing. The undiscovered opportunities, he says, may be too many to list. “What I am truly excited about is progress. With the help of vendors like Fujifilm, our great employees and fantastic customers, we are getting better and better at fulfilling our company’s mission.”

The printing press that Greg Fox’s 10th great grandfather delivered actually ended up being sent to the colony of Maryland, where its owner, William Nuthead, became that state’s first printer. And therein lies the rather unorthodox beginnings of the Fox Press story.

Today, Fox Press has been able to make all sorts of new products that help its customers achieve their communication, education and branding goals. Its publishing divisions provide educators with products that promote health, fight substance abuse and violence, and teach everyone the value of good fire safety and prevention, while its commercial division specializes in short- to medium-run publications and direct mail. Many of its clients

The Fox Press mission statement is straightforward: to help its customers and its customer’s customers grow and prosper. “We make the sharing of information easier. We’re printing better, faster and more efficiently. We’re offering new, innovative wide-format products to publishing and commercial print clients. We’ve vastly increased our direct mail capabilities. We’re scheduling, tracking jobs and communicating better with customers. Everywhere I look in our business, I see progress. And I have no doubt that this progress will lead to successful opportunity after opportunity.”

If you ask him to outline the blueprint every printer should follow for success, he is quick to refer back to finding the right partners. In an industry defined by its continual innovative accomplishments, matching the right solution with the right partner can truly offer game-changing opportunities.