OMC Printing designs for bright future

The business, owned by Monte Linn, moved in February to 407 W. Lee St. in Nixa. Located behind the Nixa post office, the 6,300-square-foot location was purchased from Rook & Knight Properties.

The company in May added a five-color 29-inch press to its equipment. OMC uses CREO Inc.’s Trendsetter 400 II Quantum, a computer-to-plate thermal plate-setter, rounding out equipment updates that double OMC’s available products and enhance the quality of the company’s work.

“That’s our computer-to-plate system,” Linn said of the Trendsetter 400. “CREO invented computer-to-plate. You can’t print better than the image that you put on a plate.”

But OMC is more than a print shop. In addition to pocket folders, postcards, flyers, stationary, forms and business cards, it also provides graphic design services.

In late 2004, OMC began offering Web site design, development and hosting, making it easier for customers to use company logos both in print and electronic materials. “We’re only since February starting to market that part of our business,” Linn said.

Linn said the company has been doing its own Web sites – several Hi-Liter advertising publications also are under the OMC umbrella – and began offering the Web services after several customer requests.

Cindy Merry of Cindy Merry Marketing, an OMC client for eight years, said she’s excited about the Web site services the company now offers.

“I’m going to take a look at that and see if there’s areas where I can work it in,” Merry said.

Merry said her relationship has been a positive one.

“Especially in the graphics, we find that they’re creative. They listen to what we want done and willingly make changes,” she said, adding that of all of OMC’s services, she uses the company’s graphic design work the most for her clients.

Merry’s clients include several Branson entertainers and venues – The Jim Stafford Theater, Yakov Smirnoff, Branson Veterans Museum and 50s at the Hop – and The Great Passion Play in Eureka Springs, Ark.

“They do graphic design for all of them. Occasionally, we do co-op programs where we’ll have a variety of businesses in Branson that are doing a project together, and OMC will help put that together graphically,” Merry said, noting that she does use OMC for printing on occasion.

While OMC reported revenues of $750,000 in 2004, Linn said that 2005 will be the company’s first year to exceed the million-dollar mark.

“I would predict this year, we’ll probably do between $1.3 (million) and $1.5 million,” he said.

Some of that optimism can be tied to growth in OMC’s direct-mail Hi-Liter publications. OMC prints Hi-Liter materials in the communities of Nixa, Ozark, Republic and Harrison, Ark.

Linn said that there are plans to begin publishing a Branson Hi-Liter in September.

“(The Hi-Liter) is really perfect for areas of 7,500 to about 15,000 (people) to be able to keep the ad rates low for the small business,” Linn said

Linn is negotiating licensing agreements for the Hi-Liter publications.

“We’ll probably work into franchising,” he said.[[In-content Ad]]