SGIA Journal Graphic November/December 2016 - 77

case study
GAM Graphics and Marketing Expands Capabilities With
Ricoh Wide Format, Five-Color Digital Technology
"At GAM, we are always open to new technologies and the
resulting opportunities they provide," says Nathaniel Grant,
Owner, GAM Graphics and Marketing.
In recent years, that has included adding several Ricoh devices to grow GAM's capabilities to bring in new customers and
new types of business.
GAM has an established history as a full-service print service provider focused on delivering an exceptional quality end
product with outstanding customer support. In addition to offset,
digital and wide-format printing services, Sterling, Virginia-based
GAM provides clients with mailing, bindery, fulfillment, marketing and top-notch creative services. GAM's state-of-the-art facility
serves a wide range of clients, from technology to entertainment,
hospitality to financial services and more. For 40 years, customers have relied on GAM's experience and expertise to help them
successfully amplify their message and ensure their brand is
always presented in the most professional manner.
As Grant said, GAM is always looking to improve and expand
the ways it serves customers. Recently, such improvements
included adding RICOH Pro L4160, RICOH Pro C7100X, RICOH
Pro C9100, RICOH Pro 8200 and RICOH Pro 8100 devices to
GAM's repertoire. The addition of these devices have allowed
GAM's talented creative department - and their sales team -
even more freedom.
"We are always on the lookout for new creative ways to get
our clients' message across, and the Ricoh presses have helped
us to be able to do this at an affordable cost point," said Grant.
"The presses we purchase for production need to be at a price
point that makes sense for our business and also have to have a
good service record. Ricoh meets both of these needs. Others on
the market might have a good price, but if it doesn't work, then
it's an overpriced coffee table."
The RICOH Pro C7100X is a powerful and affordable fivestation digital color production print system. With its support
for clear and white toner as well as oversize sheet printing, and
synthetic and specialty media, it helps digital print providers like
GAM expand sales opportunities, gain entry into new markets,
generate new revenue and bring value to customers.
"The RICOH Pro C7100X really leveled the playing field for
us," says Grant. "Instead of watching jobs for decals, short-run
book jacket covers, oversized brochures, and loyalty cards walk
right out the door because we didn't have the in-house capabilities, we were suddenly able to keep those dollars in-house and
grow. The C7100X brought more value to our business and our
customers' businesses."
That kind of outstanding color capability is vital to GAM's
business goals.
"A good example is a recent job we did creating invitations
for a 50th anniversary dinner for Inova Blood Donor Services,
who has been a customer since 2005," said Grant. "It was a
more challenging job, because the customer wanted the invite
to have the effect of gold foil without the cost of foil stamping. Using the RICOH Pro C7100X with five-color station clear,

we were able to produce what the customer wanted, and at a
60-percent cost savings over what we would have done in the
past. Ultimately we went from concept to proof approval to
approved pieces in two weeks, and the customer was so satisfied they had us produce the program for the event as well."
"Image is everything, especially in a professional setting,"
according to GAM's website (https://www.graphicsandmarketing.com). "At GAM ... we take pride in our ability to not only
refine a corporate image, but also redefine it. Redefining a brand
requires dedication, decisiveness and confidence. The team at
GAM wants to ensure that you're taking your brand in the right
direction and delivering on all channels to your market base."
The RICOH Pro L4160's addition tells a similar story. A latex
wide-format color printer capable of producing superior print
quality and color matching for brilliant signs, banners, wall coverings, indoor and outdoor advertising, point-of-sale displays
and more, the RICOH Pro L4160 delivers high-quality output up
to 63 inches wide and as long as the roll being printed on. Its
eco-friendly, aqueous latex ink drives fast cure times - which
make for fast turn times - and its outstanding seven-color
printing enables creative users like GAM to print on exciting,
eye-catching substrates, including clear, plastic, vinyl, textile and
backlit media.
"We look at the addition of the RICOH Pro L4160 as not just
adding another 'box' to our production floor," says Grant. "It's
about putting a lot more tools in our creative team's toolbox. At
GAM, we've got big imaginations. Now, we don't have to wait
for the technology to catch up to our visions for customers."
Specifically, the additions of the RICOH Pro L4160 and RICOH
Pro C7110X have brought GAM closer to achieving the dream
of being able to "print anything, on anything." Technology
advancements such as these from Ricoh show that this dream is
becoming closer to a reality.
"At GAM, our range of clients has truly expanded since these
additions," says Grant.
The broad color capabilities of these two devices in particular
have opened up new worlds for GAM and its customers, including:
* The ability to simulate metallic printing and produce
promotional displays on synthetic materials, making
GAM a go-to print resource for high-end retail and
luxury brand clients.
* For food service clients, the ability to drive new
growth by going beyond simple menus to in-store signage and customizable seasonal promotional items.
* Oversize sheet printing, meaning no more outsourcing full-size tri-fold brochures, customized promotions
and packaging jobs, driving an impressive increase in
overall revenue compared to the previous year.
* Gaining the capabilities and confidence to take on
large signage jobs that previously had to be outsourced, again, bringing more revenue back in-house
and empowering GAM to pursue new customers and
new types of business.

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SGIA Journal Graphic November/December 2016

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