How Embossed Graphics Grew into a High Quality Personalized Stationery Company

Back in 1958, above the old SUN newspaper building in Naperville, Illinois, my grandfather, Stanley Pauling, began selling printing machinery and supplies. After two decades of exclusively selling printing equipment, but not printing, he began to venture out and into new territory. I think he just got tired of selling all the equipment and not getting to play with it. In either case, in 1971; the first personalized stationery products began to come out of our Embossed Graphics warehouse.

We weren't called Embossed Graphics back in those days, but the Plasti-Graphic Supply Company. Seven years after the initial introduction of our own printed stationery line, though, it was clear that ink was in our blood. By 1978, the last of the equipment business was sold and my family began to focus exclusively on personalizing stationery and the name Embossed Graphics came into being.

Many things have changed since then, but the most important things have not.

We started with quality products and the best printing processes to create the finest looking personalized stationery and gifts; that's something we have never left behind.

My grandfather had a lifelong interest in typography that grew into creativity. He was able to use his understanding of the equipment to produce the best looking stationery products. Now retired, he began passing down his knowledge to my dad who was helping to make printing plates in the 6th grade. My dad's the president of the company now and we are still a family run business. We all work together making the best products on the market today. For us, it's not just about selling the products; it's about selling a product we can all be proud of.

To begin with, all our products are made right here at our own plant. Nothing is imported from overseas, so you can be sure that you are supporting "Made in the USA" products. Yet, we can still produce custom quality with a remarkably fast turnaround time: Most of our products leave the plant on their way to you within 24 to 48 hours.

We have always kept on top of printing technology, but have refused to switch over to lesser quality machinery and paper and ink supplies.

We convert rolls of custom paper into individually customized stationery. Our highly automated ordering process allows a rapid and error-free flow of orders from the Web directly to our advanced printing equipment. We continue to use classic printing methods: embossing, foil stamping, lithography and raised thermography as these are tried and true methods and produce the quality our customers expect. We do, however, combine the classic methods with the very latest in digital color offsetting and we were one of the first companies to do so. It is this unique combination that creates a real hands on touch to our stationery items; you can feel the layers of ink on the papers, plus the colors are brighter, details tighter and the effects more elegant. Plus because of our early adaptation of these techniques, combined with being able to control everything at the production level, we can offer these high quality methods our customers at no extra cost.

With our designers totally abreast on new trends in the industry, our traditional stationery designs have gone brighter and bolder as demand and technology come together. For instance, some of our new Baby Birth Announcement lines have big bright retro or vintage look graphics, while others are more traditional motifs, and still more have a handmade "scrapbook" like homemade feel. We promise to keep responding to what people are looking for with more new products in the future

We have added environmentally friendly items to our lines for that very reason.

We hear that our customers want to care for the earth and we want to assist in a cause we all can believe in. We are now offering a 100% recycled paper and many soy-based ink colors as well. Furthermore, we are committed to add to the eco-friendly line and increasing the choices for you.

We continually strive to create what our customers have come to expect and desire from our stationery products.

In fact, that's one of the driving forces behind our success. Between being on the cutting edge of trends, seeing what is coming next down the bend and finding new ways to connect with our customers, we know that changes will keep on coming, and we will keep on responding with the same high quality attention to details and personal customer service.

Our Personalized Stationery and Custom Printing Facility

In 1998 we built a state of the art 100,000 square foot production facility in Aurora, Illinois. Within this facility we convert rolls of custom paper into individually customized stationery. Our highly automated ordering process allows a rapid and error-free flow of orders from the Web directly to our advanced printing equipment. We constantly are upgrading our production equipment to provide our customers with products at the lowest cost and with the quickest production time.

Our People

Our most valuable asset is our people. The talented staff of over 40 employees takes pride in creating artistic paper products exactly as the customer wishes. Our printing staff attends industry events and vendor classes to remain on the leading edge of printing technologies. Also on-site is our Customer Service team, eager to help you find that perfect gift, stationery, napkin, thank you note or invitation customized to fit your exact needs.

Each personalized stationery order is presented professionally. We take great pride in the presentation of our product, this is why we offer expertly gift boxed personalized folding notes and correspondence cards. Each order is hand inspected for quality assurance, so you can be confident that your stationery or gift will be of the utmost highest quality.

And that's who we are; a family owned company who really likes printing the finest custom stationery just the way our customers like it.