Interview By Mike Greenly
Mandatory mask-wearing started since April of last year. For local printer Steve Isaacson, he produced business cards and a host of personalized items to convey a message to others. Producing masks was quickly added to the list of the many products he produced.
A native New Yorker, he launched Isaacson Associates in 1979 and has been focused on customized printing solutions for more than 40 years from his office on New York City’s Canal Street. And while his manufacturing work brings more materials into the world, he also oversees an organic farm and supports the effort to preserve several parks near his home in New Jersey.
Steve’s wife Carol’s grandmother was born in County Mayo. His niece graduated from medical school in Dublin. His daughter is currently seeking dual US/Irish citizenship. And Steve, himself, once did print work for the Principle Management organization that managed U-2, the famous rock band from Dublin. So he has a predilection to Irish themes and thus the mask pictured here.
And at a time when passing business cards was less likely than seeing someone wearing a mask, it seemed like an ideal transition.
Q: There are a zillion printers in the world. What sets you apart?
SI: Honestly, I’ve been considered a “rock star” of print & visual communications in the community and a trusted resource for tangible printing and promotional products. It’s easy to sell solutions out of a catalog, but I create them. I strive to be more personal than just selling items off the shelf. I try to “walk in my client’s shoes” but not every shoe fits. My goal for anyone I work with is to create unique solutions for their individual situations, not by pre-deciding for them, but by asking the right questions to learn more about their goals. I listen carefully to the responses and then work to empower my clients with solutions inspired by what I’ve learned about them.
Q: You created a special mask for the occasion of St. Patrick’s Day. Did you have to change your machinery to make masks?
SI: Decorating masks is the same as decorating apparel, which I’ve been doing for years. The only thing that changed was that we were now decorating face masks instead of clothing.
Q: Who designed the St. Patrick’s Day mask? And do you do many variants?
SI: Creativity is only limited by your imagination. I closed my eyes and a vision popped into my head. I didn’t create the logo and I certainly didn’t create the Irish flag. But I did create the image you see by combining the two ideas. I made many revisions before I was pleased with the results. Usually, when I’m happy, my clients are happy.
Q: Do you design them in house?
SI: Yes. We employ a template to correctly place images and/or copy onto the printable area. A virtual proof is supplied for the client’s approval and a picture of an actual printed mask is shown before we go into full production.
Q: Are there new technologies used to make them?
SI: Promotional products have always been imprinted with logos and information. Hard-goods like pens, mugs, accessories can be imprinted by screen printing, pad printing, decals, laser engraving or heat transfers. Meanwhile soft-goods like caps, shirts, jackets, towels, bags or face masks can be decorated using screen printing, heat transfers, dye-sublimation, embroidery, patches. The result depends on how many colors are in your artwork and the constraints of your budget.
Q: How much have masks become a part of your business in this time of COVID?
SI: Custom-printed face masks, disposable face masks, PPE, social distancing signage and partitions, anything COVID-related has become my dominant focus for the past year. COVID won’t disappear any time soon and neither will these products.
Q: When did you switch to that focus?
SI: COVID was a pivoting point for me and my business. In-person meetings transitioned into virtual meetings and the need for printing diminished. More than a year ago, realized that everyone would soon be required to wear face masks. I started promoting “personal billboards” because I knew face masks would be a great way to encourage healthy habits, while advertising my clients’ brands. It turned out that I was right.
Q: How is COVID affecting what people request with their info and the artwork on them? if there are fewer in-person meetings and events, with less opportunity to personally present one’s business card, are their alternatives people are using now to make a memorable impression?
SI: I find that people are still ordering printed products to mail to their clients. People are writing notes and sending them with a business card plus a promotional product as another touch point for their clients and prospects. That gesture shows them you care enough about them to make an effort to stay connected. Mail gets opened, most emails do not. Most emails – 75% to 85% – never get opened. Of the ones that do, the “click-through rate” might only be 2.5%!
Q: How do you divide physical printing and virtual documents as part of your business.
SI: Basically, artwork is artwork, but in this case they are different. We print mostly in PMS (Pantone Matching System colors) or Four Color Process — CMYK (cyan, yellow, magenta, black). Images you view on a monitor are in RGB — Red, Green & Blue. Printing files and Digital files need to be in different resolutions, different layouts and saved in different formats. Many of today’s graphic designers only know how to set up digital files for the web or for computers. Myself, being educated in traditional printing, I’m capable of delivering both print and digital design.
Q: Are you more of a promoter or producer of materials?
SI: I do both. Owning equipment is expensive and very limiting. Anyone with a small press is a printer. They may tell you that they can do anything, but they cannot do everything. When they can’t do something themselves, they broker it out as I do. To keep my clients’ prices down and deliver high quality results, I work with a select team of associates to create printing and promotional Products, as I have been doing for more than four decades. I use the most experienced professionals I know to produce the best results for my clients. I can do anything because I broker my jobs out to specialists. So I’m like the musical director of a symphony orchestra. I may not play an instrument, but together with my associates, we please our audience.
Q: What do you like best about what you do?
SI: I love it when my clients say, “That’s a great idea” or “I love it; it’s perfect” and especially when they say, “Thank you”. Getting referrals and having loyal customers (many have been with me for decades) tells me that I’ve exceeded expectations. The best part is when the check clears in the bank and at that point, I know that my job is done. To reach Isaacson, try Office: 212-226-4477 or www.isaacsonassociates.com