For over 30 years, Seaside Graphics has been steadily growing from a small, family-run business into a thriving team of 23 employees shipping jobs across the U.S. and beyond. But even with that growth, the owner was running into a familiar pain point that was eating into profit margins:
"We sold the product, but we didn't actually produce it ourselves. So we had to outsource it... and that would take a week, two weeks, three weeks, sometimes a month or more depending on what the product was."
Projects were being sent to trade shops at a premium — and with turnaround times that stretched beyond client expectations.
At the same time, trying to DIY foil on small equipment just didn't cut it. The results weren't up to par.
The shop needed a better way — one that didn't just look good on paper, but truly paid off with measurable cost savings and faster turnaround times.
The machine that made all the difference
When they discovered the LAMpro Cheetah S15M, they saw a path to producing high-end finishes themselves, without the lag or markup from third-party vendors. So adding the Cheetah meant that they could now do foiling, gloss, matte and specialty lamination — all in-house, right alongside the spot UV they already offered.
But the initial learning curve felt intimidating.
"We were overwhelmed — by the size, by everything it could do, all the different techniques and training... It was a lot at first."
But after about a week of training, testing, and fine-tuning, the team got comfortable and immediately started putting the machine to work.
Payoff in months, not years
The financial return didn't take long to show up.
"I'd say it's tens of thousands of dollars saved in just the last few months — not having to outsource to wholesale print shops."
They also gained cost control materials. Instead of relying on markup-heavy pricing from third-parties, they started sourcing their own paper stock.
"We get to buy our own stock of paper. That means we get to shop around, see who gives us the best price. And then we buy all our foil, laminate, and all that stuff straight from Skandacor — and it comes really fast."
Keeping production in-house = Higher margins + happier clients
Best of all, they didn't have to lower their prices to justify the in-house move. In fact, customers continued paying the same rates they had when the work was outsourced — but now those jobs were much more profitable.
"We could still charge the same prices we were charging before. Now we're doing it in-house, we're doing it quicker."
With faster delivery and lower production costs, margins improved significantly — and they didn't have to compromise on quality to get there.
"Now we've been foiling our stickers... We can print here on stock... Then we foil it, and put it on the die cutter that we just got from Skandacor too. The product is amazing."
The ROI you can't see on a spreadsheet
The Cheetah wasn't just a financial win — it helped the owner step back from day-to-day production and constant job management. That, in his words, is what success really looks like.
"For me as the business owner, it's the ability to have free time... not to have to worry about every little job. I distribute the workload all throughout all my guys."
The payoff in plain terms
Here's what changed once the Cheetah was in place:
- Tens of thousands saved in outsourcing costs within months
- Maintained premium pricing with dramatically lower production costs
- Took control of material costs by sourcing stock and supplies directly — no more third-party markups
- Opened new revenue streams (e.g. foiled stickers)
Want to increase your margins and take control of your foil and laminate jobs?
The LAMpro Cheetah S15M is more than just a piece of equipment — it's a profitability engine.