By Howard Koplowitz
After 18 years in business on 32nd Avenue in Bayside, Vincent Paladino saw an opportunity to further expand in the neighborhood.
Paladino opened his second Paladino Printing & Graphics shop Monday at 43-19 Bell Blvd.
Taking notice of the closings of larger printing businesses, such as Kinko's in the Bay Terrace Shopping Center and Middle Man Press on Bell Boulevard, Paladino said he saw a need for more of the services he provides.
“The big franchises, they're not able to withstand the test of time,” he said. “We're a traditional, like a mom-and-pop type of print shop. I offer that one-on-one service. We have extensive knowledge in the industry. I've literally been in it my whole life.”
He first learned the business at age 10 by working at his uncle's printing store in the Bronx during summer vacation, where he collated and stuffed envelopes.
“All the menial tasks that kind of go with printing,” Paladino said.
But the hands-on experience he gained at a young age inspired him to go into the printing business on his own in 1989, when at 22 he set up shop at 200-09 32nd Ave.
The business is family-run, with Paladino's mother handling the bookkeeping and finances and his wife and cousins helping to operate the Bell Boulevard location.
About 60 percent of Paladino's customers are from Bayside and surrounding neighborhoods.
“I like being in Bayside. There's a tremendous amount of opportunity here,” he said, referring to the commuting population who want more reasonable pricing than Manhattan shops.
The other 40 percent of his customer base is from Manhattan and other areas across the state.
Paladino Printing & Graphics mostly services small- to mid-size companies that need business cards, brochures, newsletters, stationery, envelopes, promotional packages, journals and catalogues.
All work is done on the premises, Paladino said, using both offset and digital printers. The business can handle anything from one-color business forms to full-color presentations.
The shop also prints menus for Bell Boulevard restaurants and the course catalogue for Holy Cross, and is working on Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament's class yearbook.
Coinciding with the opening of the Bell Boulevard location, Paladino is giving away 1,000 free business cards with any order of $100 or more.
Reach reporter Howard Koplowitz by e-mail at hkoplowitz@timesledger.com or by phone at 718-229-0300, Ext. 173.
