ALL THE technological changes in the printing industry over the past few years inevitably have led to the creation of a Web site that markets printing services.
Since last October, Atlanta-based 58k.com Inc. has signed on 3,000 printers, from local outfits to multinationals, that have some 3,000 customers. Among these customers are small businesses and organizations like the New York City Transit Authority, Ford Motor Co. and Black & Decker.
On 58k.com’s site (www.58k.com), printers put their services up for bid while buyers request quotes on various jobs and find and use the lowest bidders, says president Bob Rose.
Because so many printing and pre-press operations can be performed digitally and online, it doesn’t matter how far a printer is located from the client.
For example, Rose points to work his company did for Black & Decker as the appliance maker moved operations from the United States to Mexico using American-based printers.
“Printing has become a global business,” Rose notes. To address this, 58k.com has opened an office in London.
How the Site Works Potential buyers use the site by clicking on specific prompts to get details about what they want. On the next screen they can receive numbered, anonymous price quotes for those services from different printers.
Meanwhile, printers can view the jobs that’ve been offered for auction and bid on them if they want to.
Rose believes that companies employing 58k.com’s methods can save anywhere from 10% off the cost of regular print procurement on small jobs to as much as 25% for more intricate work.
For its services, 58k.com gets a 2% commission from the printers after a job is completed. The company asks only 1% from printers that use the service more than once.
Rose expects 58k.com to clear about $20 million in 2000 and as much as $500 million within five years.
58k.com promotes itself using direct response space ads in trade magazines like Printing Impressions and through appearances at trade shows. So far it’s kept away from more targeted media like direct mail and telemarketing.
“At this point we’re taking a mass marketing approach,” says Rose.
