PBI

What PBI does

PBI (Printing By Innovation Inc.) is a privately held Canadian full-service commercial printing company headquartered in Beamsville, Ontario. Founded in 2004, the firm operates a 40,000 sq. ft. consolidated production facility in Ontario and a second production facility in Surrey, British Columbia opened in spring 2016, serving clients across Ontario, British Columbia, and North America. The company runs a unified production model rather than a modular platform, providing graphic design, pre-press, direct marketing, offset printing, digital printing, finishing and bindery, packaging and die cutting, mailing and fulfillment, and the Print2Life augmented-reality print technology under one roof.

Underlying production technology is industrial and equipment-led. PBI runs Heidelberg offset presses including the Speedmaster XL-106 8P+L with in-line AQ coater (15,000 sheets per hour) and the Speedmaster CD102 4P, alongside digital presses such as the Xerox iGen 5 (26-inch capability) and Xerox 242 Docucolour. Packaging capability is delivered through an MK Easymatrix 106 diecutter and MK Diana folder/gluer, enabling in-house structural packaging with a stated 5-7 business day turnaround versus an industry standard of 4-7 weeks. Mailing operations include polywrapping, machine folding, envelope insertion, inkjet/laser printing, data processing, and postal services. Print2Life overlays interactive digital content on physical print via smartphone scanning.

The business model is B2B and project-based with quote-driven pricing (no public price list) and a sales-led go-to-market executed by dedicated account coordinators, senior account managers, and a packaging specialist. Revenue streams span offset printing, digital printing, finishing, mailing, graphic design (professional services), packaging and die cutting, and direct marketing services. The primary customer vertical is non-profit organizations served through the weCare sub-brand (newsletters, appeals, annual reports, direct mail, data mining), with secondary exposure to general business customers across commercial and packaging print. The company is independently owned with no disclosed parent, institutional investors, or external funding.

Name

PBI

Legal name

Printing By Innovation Inc.

Website

https://pbiinc.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

PBI (Printing By Innovation Inc.) is a Canadian full-service commercial printing company operating two production facilities in Beamsville, Ontario and Surrey, British Columbia. It provides graphic design, offset and digital printing, finishing, packaging, mailing, and direct marketing services, with a primary focus on non-profit organizations through its weCare program.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Beamsville

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Offset Printing Services: High-volume offset printing using Heidelberg Speedmaster presses, offering commercial quality at scale with 15,000 sheets per hour production speeds.
2. Digital Printing Services: On-demand digital printing allowing short runs from 1 to affordable quantities, offering commercial quality at lower prices than offset for smaller jobs.
3. Finishing and Bindery Services: Folding, die cutting, stitching, binding, and laminating services to complete printed products.
4. Mailing Services: Polywrapping, machine folding, envelope insertion, inkjet/laser printing, direct mailing, postal services, data processing, storage, and fulfillment.
5. Graphic Design Services: Creative design team with over 50 years combined experience developing concepts and designs for printing projects.
6. Packaging and Die Cutting: Custom packaging design, prototyping, and production including design phase with CAD software, physical sample testing, and full production runs.
7. Direct Marketing Services: Target audience analysis, customized messaging, campaign strategy and execution to complement advertising strategies.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

PBI is a Canadian commercial-printing production house that runs graphic design, offset and digital printing, finishing, mailing, packaging/die cutting, and direct-marketing campaigns under one roof out of a 40,000 sq. ft. facility in Beamsville, Ontario (plus a Surrey, BC site), serving primarily non-profits, businesses, and marketing agencies. Its proprietary Print2Life augmented-reality platform overlays digital content (video, audio, web links) onto static print pieces, and the firm operates a weCare sub-brand dedicated to non-profit client work.

Product overview

PBI (Printing By Innovation Inc.) is a full-service commercial printing company operating as a single unified production facility rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture. The company provides an integrated suite of printing and marketing services under one roof, encompassing graphic design, direct marketing, digital printing (using Xerox and Ricoh equipment), offset printing (using Heidelberg Speedmaster presses), finishing services (folding, die cutting, stitching, binding, laminating), mailing services, and packaging & die cutting. PBI also offers Print2Life, an AR-enabled technology that connects printed materials with digital content via smartphone scanning. The company operates two production facilities (40,000 sq. ft. head office in Beamsville, ON and a Western Canada facility in Surrey, BC) and maintains specialized non-profit marketing services under the weCare sub-brand. Production equipment includes Heidelberg offset presses (Speedmaster XL 106, CD102, SX 74, Printmaster), digital presses (iGen 5, Nuvera, Xerox Versant, Ricoh), and packaging equipment (MK Easymatrix diecutter, MK Diana folder/gluer).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• print2life: Cutting-edge technology that allows for a digitally enhanced view of the real world, connecting users with interactive media through tablet or smartphone scanning of print materials.
• weCare

Products and services

• Graphic Design In-house creative and layout design for print collateral, direct-mail packages, brochures and marketing materials, sold to non-profits, businesses and agencies as the upstream stage of PBI's production workflow.
• Digital Printing Short-run and variable-data digital printing produced on the Xerox iGen 5 press, serving clients that need fast turnarounds, personalization and lower-quantity runs of marketing collateral and direct mail.
• Offset Printing High-quality offset printing for larger commercial runs produced on the Heidelberg Speedmaster XL 106, used for premium marketing collateral, brochures, publications and packaging.
• Finishing Services In-house post-press finishing including binding, folding, trimming, coating and other value-added finishing operations required to ready printed pieces for distribution.
• Mailing Services End-to-end direct-mail fulfillment including list processing, insertion, addressing, sorting and postage handling for client direct-mail and donor campaigns.
• Packaging & Die Cutting Custom packaging production and structural die cutting executed on the MK Easymatrix 106, delivering custom-shaped and custom-packaging pieces alongside PBI's commercial print work.
• Direct Marketing Multi-channel direct-marketing campaign production that combines data, design, print and mail to drive response — purpose-built for non-profit donor campaigns via the weCare sub-brand and offered to commercial clients as well.
• Print2Life Augmented Reality Proprietary augmented-reality (AR) service that turns any printed piece into an interactive experience by overlaying video, audio and web links via a mobile device, designed to lift donor and customer engagement on otherwise static print.
• weCare (Non-Profit Sub-Brand) Dedicated non-profit service offering that bundles design, print, mailing, fundraising-direct-marketing production and Print2Life AR into a packaged solution for charitable organizations and their fundraising campaigns.

Quantifiable outcome

• Packaging turnaround: 5-7 business days vs industry standard 4-7 weeks
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Habitat for Humanity Waterloo RegionminorOthersPBI supports Habitat for Humanity Waterloo Region as part of their weCare corporate social responsibility program. Employees participated in the Duke Street build project. Habitat for Humanity Waterloo Region is a non-profit housing organization established in 1988 working to break the cycle of poverty by building affordable homes with hardworking families.
• Hope of Life InternationalminorOthersPBI has partnered with Hope of Life International, an organization providing housing, food, water and supplies for those in need in Guatemala. PBI employees have made multiple trips to Guatemala for hands-on assistance with home building and have contributed to building a school for children.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• St. Joseph Communications: St. Joseph Communications is a Toronto-based provider of commercial printing, direct marketing, and content solutions. It is a direct peer as a Canadian full-service print and marketing services competitor with comparable offset, digital and direct mail capabilities.
• TC Transcontinental: TC Transcontinental is the largest Canadian printing and packaging group, operating commercial printing, packaging, and direct mail services. It is a direct peer as a full-service Canadian printer with overlapping offset, digital, direct mail and packaging offerings.
• The Printing House (TPH): TPH is a Canadian retail and commercial printing chain with multiple locations. It directly competes with PBI in commercial printing, digital print-on-demand, and small-to-mid business marketing materials in Canada.
• Imagine! Print Solutions: Imagine! Print Solutions is a US commercial printer specializing in direct mail, marketing collateral, and print-on-demand services. It is a direct peer offering a comparable consultative, design-through-mail service model to PBI.
• Web Offset Publications: Web Offset Publications is a Canadian web offset printer producing magazines, catalogs and commercial print products. It is a direct peer in the Canadian offset printing market for high-volume commercial print jobs.
• Data Communications Management Corp (DCM): DCM is a Canadian business communication and printing services provider offering commercial printing, direct marketing, and data-driven marketing solutions. It directly competes with PBI in business printing, marketing services and Canadian B2B accounts.

Broad incumbents

• HH Global (InnerWorkings): HH Global, which acquired InnerWorkings, is a global managed print and marketing services provider. It is a broad incumbent offering print procurement, direct marketing and creative services that overlap with PBI's design-to-mail value proposition.
• CJK Group: CJK Group is a holding company for a network of commercial printing, packaging and marketing services firms across North America. It is a broad incumbent in commercial print whose portfolio companies compete with PBI in printing, packaging and direct marketing.
• Quad/Graphics: Quad/Graphics is one of North America's largest commercial printers, offering offset, digital, direct mail, and integrated marketing services. It is a broad incumbent that competes with PBI for larger commercial and direct marketing accounts.

Regional players

• Marquis Book Printing: Marquis is a Canadian book and commercial printer based in Quebec. It is a regional peer serving Canadian print buyers with offset and digital production capacity similar to PBI's Beamsville operations.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCn-EzILDvKdafvulMP_qcGA
• Facebookfacebook.com/printingbyinnovation
• Instagraminstagram.com/pbiprinting
• Xx.com/PBIPrinting
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/pbi---printing-by-innovation-inc.

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Subsidiaries1 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 PBI