What is it: Loris Printing, a long-time Sandusky-area print shop, received a $50,000 JobsOhio Inclusion Grant last month from the
Erie County Economic Development Corporation (ECEDC). The print shop invested the money in new equipment to better serve its customers.
“We’re always looking to upgrade our equipment and offer our customers unique things,” says Debby Hofer, whose parents Joe and Kathy Loris founded the company in 1966. “To us, we work hard for the money and we know grants come from taxpayers. It’s not money just sitting around, but we felt other businesses were getting grants and we’ve worked our butts off, so let’s pursue one and see if we could get a grant like others.”
Loris also worked with
TeamNeo and
JobsOhio for technical support and guidance on the expansion. The assistance was focused on helping Loris provide reliable and innovative solutions for its customers.
“We are thrilled to partner with Loris Printing to bolster their growth and expansion in Sandusky,” says Nico Samaniego, business development coordinator for ECEDC in a press release announcing the grant. “Loris Printing has been an outstanding member of our business community, and we are committed to providing them with the necessary tools and resources to thrive in an ever-evolving industry.”
What will it do: The company used the funds to purchase a new flatbed printer and cutter, making it possible for Loris to provide customers with more printing options.
“The first jobs we had lined up were political signs because this (equipment) prints big sheets,” Hofer says. “We had several orders already lined up, so it was just a matter of timing of when we got the equipment in and we were trained. Since then, it’s been ‘boom,’ off to the races.”
Loris has had the capacity to print all types of signage, but the new equipment makes it quicker and on a larger scale. In addition to signs for local politicians and levies, Loris developed signage promoting school spirit as area teams head into the Ohio football playoffs.
“We have football-shaped yard signs that we’ve been promoting that have been selling like hotcakes,” Hofer says. “Times have changed in what we offer.”
The new equipment also makes it more efficient for the Loris staff to produce the products for customers while using fewer materials.
“The time that we’re saving in producing yard signs has been cut way down,” Hofer says. “We do the Sandusky football helmet decals and you could only get so many on a sheet. Now, we can tell it to cut to two inch circles with so many on one sheet and it cuts it automatically.”
What's next: The new equipment has Hofer and her staff looking into new things to offer. Loris will be rolling those new ideas out as time permits.
“We’ve been doing signs on a smaller scale, but this just opens the door to more unique things that we can offer,” she says. “There are so many ideas, but right now, we’re trying to keep production flowing out the door.
“We have some neat things in the works; it’s just a matter of time of putting it all together and promoting it.”
While Loris Printing has changed with the times, it's also committed to making sure the smaller jobs are a priority. The firm still offers invitations for weddings, graduations and anniversaries.
“We have brides coming in every day,” Hofer says. “A lot of styles have changed and we keep up with that, but now we’re offering unique papers instead of just the white and ivory.”
For more information: Loris Printing is located at 2111 Cleveland Road in Sandusky, while information on the products offered is available online at
lorisprinting.net, which also provides a way to email the firm directly.
Customers can call Loris at (419) 626-6648 or by following the company on
Facebook,
Instagram,
X (formerly known at Twitter;, and
YouTube.