Few industries have changed as radically over the years as the printing business.

Even the word printing no longer covers it.

Try digital imaging. Cadgraphics. Reprographics.

Document management.

Gord Olsen, left, and Barry Cruikshank of Carbon Copy Digital, with the OCE TDS 800 copier/scanner/plotter.

You could log plenty of kilometres surveying this highly transformed industry.

Or you could simply drop by Carbon Copy Digital and see experienced staff using state-of-the-art technology to serve a growing array of customers and their constantly changing needs.

With offices in Edmonton and Calgary, Carbon Copy offers services such as large-format colour and black-and-white printing; blackline prints; inkjet prints; colour and black-and-white prints and copies.

Applications include reproducing construction drawings and specifications, manuals, brochures and investor-relation documents.

You may remember the era of blueprints, those smudgy, ammonia-drenched sheets that became toxic additions to landfill. Carbon Copy produces their friendly replacement, a crisp, large-format image printed in exquisite detail on white bond paper.

Further demonstrating the changes that technology brings to this industry, over 50 per cent of Carbon Copy’s work orders come in via the web.

In particular, Carbon Copy’s PRINTDIRECT™ is a proprietary, secure online order-submission software developed specifically for Carbon Copy, enables clients to send orders electronically. It then automatically converts the clients’ documents to a PDF.

It allows clients to proof their documents from their offices online, and it includes an online archive function that allows clients to view their documents on file at any time and to place orders as required.

“We’ve made it easy for our customers to do business with us,” Carbon Copy president Tony Militano says. “We’re new to the Edmonton market but we’ve been doing business in Alberta for 25 years – and, without question, the key to our success is superior service.”

The firm also keeps on top of all technological advances and ensures the equipment is state of the art.

“We’ve led the way by introducing technologies such as the Oce TDS 800 (copier/ scanner/plotter). We were the first company in Canada on the architectural and engineering side to introduce that product.

“But we also have 40 great people with combined experience of over 400 years.”

Carbon Copy, in addition to providing service to the architectural, engineering and construction industries, also serves clients in education, government, high- technology, pharmaceuticals and the financial and corporate world.

Through the years, Carbon Copy has established a reputation for excellence, efficiency and a commitment to helping customers grow their business.

“We encourage clients to use us as their print and copy experts and to concentrate their resources and time on generating revenue within their core business,” says Barry Cruikshank, director of sales and business development.

At Carbon Copy’s Edmonton office, which opened last November, general manager Gord Olsen says clients especially appreciate the firm’s ability to print in small quantities because such runs allow frequent changes to time-sensitive documents.

“We advise them, don’t print any more than you need now.”

Besides producing documents, Carbon Copy’s highly trained team will analyse, install, manage and support all of a client’s print and equipment needs.

“We are document-management specialists,” Olsen says.

Like the industry, the firm itself has changed rapidly. Militano, a 20-year veteran of the business, purchased Carbon Copy three-and-a-half years ago. At that time, it was a small reprographics shop with a staff of five and about 1,500 square feet of space.

Militano was committed to bringing the firm up-to-date and expanding its scope, innovation and customer base.

It now occupies 15,000 square feet in the Calgary facility and 10,000 in Edmonton, and features a wide range of top-quality equipment.

“By streamlining the production process with technology and the right people, we are able to get the job done quicker. In fact, 70 per cent of our work orders are in and out in the same day.”

As well as having offices in Edmonton and Calgary, Carbon Copy has an alliance with other reprographic companies across Canada, the U.S. and the U.K.

“We can therefore facilitate a distribution and print strategy for our clients by sending their digital files to another city and having it printed at the closest point of need – or we can print locally and distribute the documents by courier to the appropriate location, making it all seamless for our customer,” says Olsen.

Carbon copy’s new Edmonton location is at 10159 - 108 St. Phone 780.428.3116, fax 780.428.3126 or go to www.carbcopy.com