How our printing and binding specs have changed with technology

Introduction

We've built a transparent printing service. Since 2009, printMe1.com has offered a simple pricing method. We're not changing that, but what we are doing is providing all of the details on pricing, specifications, margins, binding and more on one easy to reference page. From that page, all key info can be referenced.

How we started

We had a brick and mortar print shop pre-2009 and were focused on integrating a web to print system into it. It We had not see a way to handle all of the file types printing used. File transfers had always been a problem, and there were different solutions. The biggest problem was developing a system that aligned with the customer's resources. Bandwidth was speeding up but not everyone had upgraded to cable or DSL. Our efforts were always complicated by factors out of our control. We wanted to do something simpler.

Our first try at simple

Around 2005 we built a site that tried to do simple printing, but not everyone was familiar with PDF's. We had to work with doc files and PDF's. It was based on..Flash, pHp, and other old architectures. Doc files had to be converted into PDFs. It was resource heavy. That was also before social media. We had to buy advertising to get the word out. It never got any traction, was expensive to maintain, and we pulled the plug.

The Simpler the Better

We wanted something simple, and started from scratch. At the end of 2008, we started working from a simple code base- Perl- and html. It was old school even for the time, but pHp had some server constraints that perl didn't have, so we made the switch. We stripped out anything complicated, and just focused on PDFs, and single uploads. Our design was influenced by Billy Mays, the iconic "As Seen on TV" pitchman, who sadly passed around that time. We were asking ourselves, how would Billy sell a print of a PDF? We decided to offer a format and service level that would be easy for anyone to able to order a utilitarian style print, common to custom textbooks used at colleges and universities. For those, there's nothing complicated- a clear cover, standard paper stock, no complicated choices or questions. We print the entire PDF and put a clear cover on it, with a black linen card stock back cover, and a few easy binding choices, or choose for it not to be bound at all. On Jan 1, 2009, we launched printMe1.com with an old school press release, and waited. We picked up our first job, then another, and in just a week had passed the sales of the old Flash site. We later added the other options people asked for, but still kept is simple.

Original Process and Print Specs

The old Perl site worked great. One PDF, one upload. One set, one print. We were printing back then from a Docutech 135 using a Micropress raster image processor. That was technically overwhelmed, plus the DocuTech 135 is a massive, true industrial production rig weighing over 3,000 lbs and pulling massive electrical loads (7.7 kW). and we replaced it with a lighter Canon 7105. The output was improved 1200x 1200 dpi vs 600x600 dpi, but the print speed was slower. This was back in 2010.

Processing Nowadays

In 2026 we're using multiple Konica Minolta 7136's- 136 copies per minute machines that are in a different league from these in output gradations, speed, productivity, and overall quality. For color, we're using multiple KM c7100's. 100 copy per minute color presses. The output and productivity is unmatched.

We took it all a step further by designing our coded front end to maximize our productivity before the PDFs get to the machines. We streamline the transfer of the PDF files and use coding to simply our work in the shop to get the files printed. That's how the jobs move through our shop so quickly.

Added Features

We've had 4 patents granted on our print process and features we created for just for this PDF printing service so we can print, bind, and have the prints ready to ship in under 2 business days. from your file upload. This is a standard we're proud to have held for a long time and during some busy periods. One of the features we patented is a PDF Hosting process that was designed for Open Educational Materials, aka, OER, used in academia. With that, a librarian or instructor can host their open licensed PDF on our site, and distribute a link that serves a landing page for a print so the entire class doesn't need to upload the file to get a print. We also added patented features into PDF hosting for approving hosted files before printing, and also other payment features. The hosting feature works in other situations, not just for Open Education users, as long as the works are public domain or have the copyright holder's permission to host.

Binding Production

We used to punch everything by hand. The latest equipment we use punches in line on the printing presses, so we have less handling and can process the jobs faster. There are times we still punch offline by hand, but it's less frequent than before. With mechanical bindings, the thickness of the stack determines where the holes are punched. Our automated equipment handles those adjustments. We have some hand processing but it's more streamlined.

Today's Pricing and Specs

We still have a very basic formula like we did in 2009, but there are more options to track. We added the color and 1st page color print types, along with additional sets. We also added a few different binding options- Plastic Coil, Wire-o. In addition we have 3 hold punch and no binding. In 2017 we added the ability to process multiple PDFs in the same transaction, and added an additional payment processor, Stripe. The pricing model is basically the same as it was but now with more options. That's why we posted everything for our pricing and print specs on one simple page here. That page is designed so it's one place to look for everything. PDF printing isn't something most people think about every day, but when they do, we'd like them to know there's an easy to use site that they can rely on for fast and inexpensive PDF printing.