Scottsdale-based Artisan Colour, which a trio of print professionals founded in 1998, is positioning itself for expansion with the recent addition of Director of Digital Printing Alan Ludington.

To complement Mr. Ludington’s hiring, Artisan Colour is also investing in areas to provide specialty print solutions for mid-size companies to Fortune 500 organizations. The decision to add to the leadership team was, in part, due to the demand of the expanding business, according to a press release.

A native of Salt Lake City, Mr. Ludington has held leadership positions in professional printing operations throughout the West and Pacific Northwest. Most recently he led Premier Press in Portland, Oregon, as the wide format manager.

He brings over 35 years of print industry experience to Artisan, specifically across large format, small format and offset printing. Mr. Ludington possesses a legacy of print history; his father was also a printer.

“As owners, we take the responsibility for running Artisan very seriously,” CEO Doug Bondon said in a prepared statement.

“My partner, John Passante and I, believe the addition of Alan will enhance the company. We are excited to begin a new journey to grow the operation and success of our business, and more importantly, to continue to provide top notch printing services to our loyal customers.”

Artisan Colour also achieved HIPPA compliance within the last year. Through Artisan’s association with hospitals and the health care industry, it became evident that this was a real opportunity, a release claims.

Artisan Colour has also recognized a growing opportunity in the print-on-demand market for franchisee concepts.

Franchise businesses require an efficient streamlined web-to-print ordering platform for multiple locations/people. Artisan is now creating custom portals/websites as a solution for franchisees who need ongoing print solutions.

On the e-commerce side of the business, expansion of that division has driven the need to invest in dye-sublimation printing and a new Epson F-series printer. The F-series provides a printing gamut for the sublimation to aluminum process creating ChromaLuxe prints.

Artisan Colour also plans to add a new Print MIS platform and recently purchased UV coating equipment from Tec Lighting.
Mr. Bondon, Joe Vallone and John Passante founded Artisan Colour, which sits in a 36,000-square-foot building at 8970 E. Bahia Drive in north Scottsdale.

They represent more than 80 years of color separation and printing experience. The company employs more than 65 professionals who provide diversified printing services including design, photography, color management and digital printing from large to small.

Artisan Colour began as a catalog production company in 1998. For its first five years, it brought on clients such as Neiman Marcus, Sundance Catalog and Patagonia. Artisan has since added other brands including Pottery Barn, Johnston & Murphy, Filson and JOHNNY WAS.

In 2005, Artisan Colour moved to its current location near Westworld in north Scottsdale. The company absorbed a large format printing company, expanding into a state-of-the-art production facility.