Sentinel Innovation

What Sentinel Innovation does

Sentinel Innovation (legal entity Hempstead Sentinel, Inc.) is a family-owned, full-service commercial printing company headquartered at 55 Chasner Street, Hempstead, New York. Founded in 1858 as The Queens County Sentinel newspaper, the firm is one of the oldest continuously operating printing businesses in the New York region and has evolved over more than 160 years from letterpress to offset to digital printing. The company is currently led by CEO and President Glen Boehmer, whose father acquired the firm from the original four-generation owning family in the 1990s; Glen Boehmer also serves as Chairman of the Printing Industries Alliance Long Island chapter. The company is privately held with no institutional, private equity, or public ownership.

The company's core capabilities span 25+ print product categories, including business cards, brochures, books and booklets, catalogs, postcards, newsletters, signage, trade show materials, mailers, and specialty event collateral. Underlying technology combines digital and offset printing with variable data printing for personalized campaigns, foil and lamination finishing, white ink personalization, and USPS-direct mail optimization including merge/purge list services. Technology-enabled offerings include web-to-print branded storefronts that deliver password-protected online ordering portals with approval workflows, budget management, and user access controls, plus interactive PDFs, graphic design, and website design and development. The firm has held Sustainable Green Printing Partnership (SGP) certification (2010-2017) — the first on Long Island to achieve it — and partners with PrintReleaf (since 2018-10) and Two Sides on sustainability initiatives, with OSHA-trained staff.

Sentinel Innovation generates revenue through a mix of quote-based transactional print jobs (no minimum order, same-day or next-day turnaround), recurring subscription revenue from branded storefront portals, per-campaign fees for direct mail services, and professional services fees for graphic and website design. The go-to-market is sales-led and direct-to-consumer, combining phone/email engagement (516-486-5000, [email protected]), 24/7 online ordering via the website, and custom branded storefronts for mid-market and enterprise clients. Customer base spans local small businesses, mid-market accounts, and enterprise customers across financial services (E*Trade, Astoria Federal Savings, TD Waterhouse, David Lerner Associates), retail and fashion (Rebecca Taylor, AAA New York), education (Adelphi University), healthcare (Clinilabs), automotive/media (Virgil Scudder & Associates), and nonprofit (Family and Children's Association, VISIONS, NYRR Youth Services). Geographic focus is Long Island and the broader Northeast US, with opportunistic national reach.

Name

Sentinel Innovation

Legal name

Hempstead Sentinel, Inc.

Website

https://sentinelinnovation.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1858

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Sentinel Innovation is a family-owned, full-service commercial printing company in Hempstead, New York, offering 25+ print product categories plus web-to-print branded storefronts, variable data printing, direct mail, and graphic design for enterprise and local business customers across the Northeast US.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Commercial Printing Services

NAICS

Commercial Printing (except Screen and Books) (323111), Printing and Related Support Activities (323), Books Printing (323117), Periodical Publishers (51312)

SIC

Services-Mailing, Reproduction, Commercial Art & Photography (7330), Book Printing (2732), Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)

akta.pro primary industry

Digital Printing (Short-Run, Variable Data) (MPAJALAC)

Keywords

• Commercial printing services
• Custom print products
• Direct mail services
• Web-to-print storefronts
• Variable data printing

Headquarters

HQ city

Hempstead

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Print Services: One-time transaction fees for print jobs including business cards, postcards, brochures, books, calendars, catalogs, envelopes, forms, notepads, newsletters, flyers, letterhead, signs, event signage, trade show materials, and custom products. Both digital and offset printing available.
2. Web-to-Print Storefront Services: Subscription-style recurring revenue from branded storefront portals. Clients pay for setup and ongoing usage of the online ordering system for templated materials.
3. Direct Mail Services: End-to-end mailing services including variable data mailings, merge/purge, and postal optimization. Revenue generated per mailing campaign.
4. Graphic Design Services: Creative design services for print materials, charged as professional services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Sentinel Innovation is a full-service commercial printing company that produces and finishes custom printed materials — business cards, brochures, books, signage, mailers, and more — using digital and offset presses, with complementary digital services including web-to-print branded storefronts, variable data personalization, graphic design, and end-to-end direct mail fulfillment for business clients on Long Island and nationally.

Product overview

Sentinel Innovation is a full-service commercial printing company based in Hempstead, New York, with operations dating back to 1858. The company operates as a platform of print products and services rather than a unified software product. Its core print products portfolio includes 25 distinct product categories spanning business collateral (business cards, letterhead, envelopes, forms), marketing materials (brochures, flyers, postcards, catalogs), publication items (books, booklets, calendars, newsletters), event materials (signs, trade show displays, event signage, door hangers), and specialty items (invitations, mailers, kitting). The company complements its print products with a suite of technology-enabled services including Web-to-Print Branded Storefronts (online ordering portals), Variable Data Printing (personalized marketing), Digital and Offset Printing capabilities, Direct Mail Services, Graphic Design, Website Development, Lamination and Foil finishing, and data services like Merge and Purge. The product ecosystem centers on helping clients produce effective printed communications through both traditional print methods and modern web-based ordering and personalization technologies.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Business Cards Custom business card printing with multiple paper stocks, finishes, and design options for businesses and professionals.
• Brochures Marketing brochures and informational pamphlets produced in various folding configurations for business marketing.
• Postcards Direct mail postcards in various sizes, formatted for USPS postcard or letter rates, for marketing campaigns.
• Books & Booklets Professional book and booklet printing with various binding options and paper choices for publications and reports.
• Catalogs Product catalogs and reference guides with multiple pages and binding options for retail and B2B clients.
• Invitations & Cards Greeting cards, invitations, and personalized card printing for personal and corporate occasions.
• Trade Show Materials Complete trade show print packages including banners, booth materials, and promotional items for events.
• Signs Indoor and outdoor signage printing for businesses, events, and venues.
• Web-to-Print Branded Storefronts Online e-commerce portals for businesses to order branded marketing materials, with password protection, approval workflows, and budget controls for multi-user enterprise ordering.
• Variable Data Printing Personalized printing service that customizes each piece based on database information (text, images, variables) for targeted direct mail campaigns.
• Direct Mail Services End-to-end direct mail services including design, printing, addressing, merge/purge, and postage optimization for marketing campaigns.
• Graphic Design Services Professional graphic design services for creating marketing materials, branding assets, and print-ready artwork.
• Digital and Offset Printing Production printing using both digital and offset presses to handle short-run and large-volume jobs with varying quality requirements.
• Lamination and Foil Services Lamination and foil stamping finishing services applied to digitally printed pieces to add premium finishes.
• Merge and Purge Database optimization service combining and deduplicating mailing lists to improve the effectiveness of direct mail campaigns.
• Website Design & Development Website design and development services supporting client web presence as a complement to print services.
• Consultative Print Expert print consultation advising clients on paper choices, design, and production methods before and during projects.
• Kitting Assembly and kitting service combining multiple printed materials into packaged sets for distribution or fulfillment.

Named customers13 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• PrintReleafcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2018Sentinel Innovation partnered with PrintReleaf to reduce the environmental impact of using forest-based products. PrintReleaf is a platform for automated global reforestation that connects businesses to a network of Global Reforestation Projects where they can plant trees to offset forest consumption from printing and paper products. This partnership aligns with Sentinel's sustainability commitment.
• PIA (Printing Industries Alliance)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrinting Industries Alliance represents the world's largest printing trade association. Sentinel Innovation's CEO Glen Boehmer serves as Chairman of the Long Island chapter. PIA membership provides access to industry resources, networking, advocacy, and professional development for printing companies.
• Two SidesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTwo Sides is an initiative by companies from the Graphic Communications Value Chain promoting the responsible production and use of print and paper. Sentinel Innovation is a member, demonstrating commitment to sustainable sourcing and environmental responsibility.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Cimpress (Vistaprint): Cimpress, the parent of Vistaprint, is a large-scale online commercial printing platform offering business cards, marketing materials, signage, and apparel. Directly comparable to Sentinel as a print services competitor, though operating at massive scale with a mass-market, low-cost model.
• Office Depot: Office Depot offers in-store and online printing services including business cards, flyers, banners, and binding as part of a broader office supplies business. Comparable in core print product offering and SMB customer base, with significant scale advantages.
• FedEx Office: FedEx Office (formerly Kinko's) is a national retail printing chain offering digital printing, copying, binding, and direct mail services. Comparable in product range (business cards, brochures, banners) and target market, but with retail footprint and scale Sentinel cannot match.

Emerging players

• Printful: Printful is an on-demand printing and fulfillment company focused on apparel, accessories, and custom products for e-commerce brands. Comparable in variable data and on-demand print technology, but serves a different primary end market (DTC e-commerce vs. local enterprise).
• Speedpro Imaging: Speedpro Imaging is a North American franchise specializing in large-format and wide-format printing, signage, and vehicle wraps. Partial overlap with Sentinel's signage and event materials offering, focused on a specific print subsegment.

Regional players

• The Printing House: The Printing House (TPH) is a Northeast US-based commercial printer with digital, offset, and large-format capabilities serving enterprise and SMB customers. Comparable product mix and direct mail capabilities, with greater scale and Canadian footprint.

Direct peers

• AlphaGraphics: AlphaGraphics is a franchised commercial printing and marketing services network with full-service digital and offset capabilities, direct mail, and design services. Closely comparable business model to Sentinel with similar SMB-to-enterprise customer mix.
• Minuteman Press: Minuteman Press is a franchised commercial printing and marketing services company offering digital printing, signs, and promotional products. Comparable in target customer (SMB and local enterprise) and full-service print offerings, with broader geographic reach via franchise network.
• Sir Speedy: Sir Speedy is a franchised print, signs, and marketing services provider offering digital printing, offset, direct mail, and graphic design. Directly comparable to Sentinel in service mix and customer profile (small-to-mid sized businesses and local enterprise).
• 4over, Inc. 4over is a wholesale trade printer offering offset and digital printing, large format, and direct mail finishing to print brokers and resellers. Comparable to Sentinel in production capabilities and product breadth, though operating primarily through a trade-only model.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/SentinelPrint
• Facebookfacebook.com/sentinelinnovation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/631045
• Pinterestpinterest.com/SentinelNY

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Sentinel Innovation