Digital imaging printer Protocolor expanding in Lafayette in May

Business Report Correspondent

LAFAYETTE — Passion, plus dedication, long hours and financial risk equals an entrepreneur. Bob Pabst is that and more.

He owns Protocolor, a large-format digital imaging company in Lafayette. He works for himself and has two part-time employees who come in when there is too much work to do himself.

SPONSORED CONTENT

Federal District Court Rules Corporate Transparency Act Unconstitutional . . . But Most Small Businesses Must Still Comply

Lyons Gaddis Real Estate and Business Attorney Cameron Grant shares important details of the Corporate Transparency Act (CTA).

Pabst developed an interest in high-end, quality digital imaging when he part-owned a company in Denver from 1986-1991 that did a little digital printing. That was the beginning of digital imaging, and the market was not educated enough yet, according to Pabst. That company closed in 1991.

Protocolor has a different focus than Pabst’s earlier company. After working in corporate businesses for seven years, the entrepreneur bug got to him. He opened Protocolor in April 2000.

Protocolor does large-format digital imaging for projects ranging from 11 inches by 17 inches up to 52 feet. Along with large-format imaging, Protocolor also can do smaller, short-run jobs, which can be personalized. These jobs include table tent fliers for Old Chicago.

One client, Lisa Wray, a digital artist, found Protocolor on the Web. “Protocolor had a machine I was interested in,” Wray said. She was a little leery about using a company she found on the Web, but Pabst put her fears to rest.

“Pabst has great business ethics, is very creative and is willing to provide personal one-on-one contact,” Wray said. The paper and machine that printed her artwork have an archival output of about 120 years.

Being an entrepreneur in a small, new business, Pabst works odd hours. But because he is passionate and excited about his business, the sacrifice is worth it.

Pabst plans to run his business lean for the first year to get operations running smoothly and to get clients and advertise. In his previous venture, he said the company moved too quickly. He has a small office space to keep a handle on overhead, while he redevelops his expertise in digital imaging.

In the middle of May, Pabst is moving his office to a bigger location of 4,000 square feet at 1208 Commerce Court in east Lafayette. With the move, he is looking to hire more employees. He also is planning an open house to show off his business.

Pabst said Protocolor differs from other printing businesses because anyone can gather the money and equipment to open a business, but not everyone has a complete understanding of all the technology and components. “I have really researched the equipment to provide a competitive advantage,” he said.

Pabst said he aims to keep Protocolor’s Web site at www.protocolor.com down to earth so anyone can do business with him, not just people who know about digital imaging. A customer can easily order Protocolor’s services online, he said. All a customer has to know is how big he wants the final product to be.

Protocolor uses the industry’s most advanced equipment. “The Roland Hi-Fi Jet model FJ-52 is my pride and joy,” Pabst said. The Roland Hi-Fi Jet is a high fidelity six-color ink jet printer. It features 1,440 dots per inch and has six colors instead of four. The machine cost Pabst about $20,000.

Protocolor uses both Macintosh and personal computers to run the machine. This way clients can turn in images on zip disks, floppy disks, CD-ROMs or any other removable disk, making business convenient, Pabst said.

Protocolor can do a job from start to finish. It has mounting and laminating machines, and Pabst will ship the final product. Wray said he got creative and sent her work in polyvinyl chloride (PVC) tubing to protect the final product.

Protocolor has accumulated about 30 corporate clients in its first year. Most of these clients order projects weekly or monthly. Walk-in clients may use Protocolor’s services just once for a poster or banner.