Metroform

What Metroform does

Metroform Paper and Digital Document Solutions is a family-owned commercial printing and direct mail services company headquartered in Rancho Cordova, California. Founded approximately 1990, the company operates with a small team of roughly 9 employees — including President Mike Cole, General Manager Phillip Cole, Sales Manager Sandy Cole, and Graphic Artist Debbie Ali — and serves clients ranging from small businesses to large corporations, with an explicit focus on challenging workflows that require specialized attention.

The company's core offerings span commercial printing (1-2 color through 4 color process, runs from 100 to 50,000+ units), end-to-end direct mail campaign management including variable imaging personalization, barcode label and system design with real-time tracking, business forms and envelopes, business checks, custom labels, media replication, and promotional products. Underlying technology includes offset and digital printing presses, variable data imaging capable of lifting direct mail response rates from approximately 1% to as high as 30%, automated barcode solutions with thermal transfer and direct thermal hardware, and the trademarked Print to Mail accessory for HP LaserJet 4050/4100/4100N series printers that automates folding, stuffing, and sealing at up to 1,400 mailers per hour. Metroform also operates as an authorized HP TELEform resale vendor for electronic data capture applications.

The business model is sales-led with quote-based pricing across all service lines, distributed via toll-free phone, online quote request forms, and the Metronet client portal. Revenue is generated through one-time printing services, hardware sales (barcode equipment, Print to Mail accessories), professional services (direct mail campaign management, marketing services), and recurring relationships anchored by long-tenured enterprise clients such as the University of California San Francisco (13+ year relationship since 2002) and OSHA Review. The company holds no external funding and has no parent company, operating as an independent going concern with regional concentration in California and national service delivery capability.

Name

Metroform

Legal name

Metroform Paper and Digital Document Solutions

Website

https://metroform.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Metroform is a family-owned commercial printing and direct mail services company in Rancho Cordova, California, offering commercial printing, variable imaging, barcode systems, business forms, and the Print to Mail automation accessory for HP LaserJet printers, serving SMBs through large corporations across healthcare, government, education, and nonprofit verticals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Commercial Printing Services

NAICS

Commercial Printing (except Screen and Books) (323111), Direct Mail Advertising (541860), Converted Paper Product Manufacturing (3222)

SIC

Commercial Printing (2750), Services-Direct Mail Advertising Services (7331), Converted Paper & Paperboard Prods (No Contaners/Boxes) (2670)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industry

Corporate, Promotional & Custom Print Products Distribution (CRAOALAM)

Keywords

• Commercial printing services
• Direct mail marketing
• Variable data imaging
• Barcode label systems
• Business forms printing

Headquarters

HQ city

Rancho Cordova

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Commercial Printing Services: One-time printing services for brochures, mailers, newsletters, catalogs, business cards, and marketing materials. Quantity ranges from 100 to 50,000+ units. Press capabilities range from small 1-2 color to traditional and digital 4 color process.
2. Direct Mail Services: End-to-end direct mail campaign services including concept development, database management, list acquisition, printing, fulfillment, inserting, mailing with presort optimization, response tracking, and results reporting.
3. Barcode Labels and Systems: Sale of barcode labels, thermal transfer labels, direct thermal laser labels, scanners, readers, printers, and barcode systems. Includes system design, hardware/software installation, and ongoing support.
4. Business Forms and Envelopes: Custom and stock business forms, envelopes (various sizes including standard, jumbo commercial, booklet, catalog styles), and related products. 24-hour turnaround for plain stock items.
5. Print to Mail Products: Print to Mail accessories and compatible forms for HP LaserJet printers. Forms replace both envelope and paper for automated mailing solutions.
6. Media Replication: CD/DVD replication, cassette duplication, sleeves, mailers, kitting, packaging, addressing, and mailing/distribution services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Metroform is a paper and digital document solutions company providing commercial printing (offset and digital, 1-2 color through 4 color process), end-to-end direct mail campaign management, variable data imaging personalization, barcode labels and tracking systems, custom business forms and envelopes, business checks, and custom labels. It also supplies marketing communications services, CD/DVD media replication, and over 500,000 promotional products with logo imprinting, serving as a single-source provider for challenging document and mailing workflows.

Product overview

Metroform is a paper and digital document solutions company offering a comprehensive portfolio of printing services and products. The core offering consists of commercial printing (from 100 to 50,000+ units), direct mail campaign management, variable imaging personalization, barcode labels and systems, business forms and envelopes, business checks, and business/custom labels. Supporting services include marketing services, media replication (CD/DVD), and non-profit services. The product line also includes promotional products (500,000+ items) and the HP Print to Mail accessory for automating office mailing tasks. The company positions itself as a single-source provider for challenging workflows requiring complex serialization, FDA-regulated labels, or high-volume direct mail campaigns, serving clients from small businesses to large corporations with over 30 years of experience and 100+ years of combined team expertise.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Print to Mail: Print to Mail accessory that attaches to HP LaserJet printers to print, fold and seal documents. Automates office mailings like payroll checks, statements, invoices, and W-2s.
• Print to Mail 2
• Metronet

Products and services

• Direct Mail Full-service direct mail campaign management from initial assessment through response tracking and order fulfillment, including concept development, database management, list acquisition, personalized printing, fulfillment, inserting, presort mailing, response tracking, variable data imaging, and results reporting. Tailored to optimize response rates, store traffic, or brand awareness for business clients.
• Commercial Printing Commercial printing services ranging from 100 black-and-white postcards to 50,000 full-color catalogs. Manages the entire process from design concept to delivered printed material. Press capabilities range from small 1 and 2 color to traditional and digital 4 color process.
• Barcode Labels and Systems Automated bar code solutions providing organizations with improved accuracy and real-time tracking of business critical information. Offers design and production of bar coded labels, hardware (scanners, portable data terminals, radio frequency scanners), and software for on-demand production. Includes thermal transfer labels, direct thermal labels, scanners, UPC labels, printers, readers, and labeling software.
• Business Forms and Envelopes Custom and standard business forms, surveys, and inventory management services with online access. Also provides a wide range of envelopes including standard sizes (#10, #9, #8-5/8, #7-3/4, #6-3/4), jumbo commercial sizes (#14, #13, #12, #11), booklet and catalog styles, with various construction features and paper stocks.
• Business and Custom Labels Label solutions in one to five colors, available in roll to roll, cut sheet or fan fold formats with over 300 dies. Labels include pre-printed options with or without bar coding and variable information, as well as blank labels for on-site imaging with laser, thermal, or thermal transfer printers.
• Business Checks Quality laser check printing services including computer checks, manual checks, bank deposit slips, computer deposit slips for Intuit QuickBooks, manual deposit slip booklets, security tinted check envelopes, self seal, peel and seal, and regular business check envelopes. Offers in-house check printing for faster turnaround and lower costs compared to local banks.
• Promotional Products Targeted promotional products for reaching prospective clients and maintaining brand visibility. Offers over 500,000 promotional products with company logo imprinting. Also provides full-service company stores where employees and customers can order branded merchandise with Metroform handling production, shipping, and billing.
• Print to Mail Print to Mail accessory that attaches to HP LaserJet 4050/4100/4100N series printers to automate office mailings including payroll checks, accounts payable checks, statements, invoices, grade reports, student schedules, and W-2s. Prints, folds and seals in one step. Also available as a standalone fold and seal unit (Print to Mail 2).
• Marketing Services Marketing communication development including direct mail programs, newsletters, brochures, presentation folders, graphic design, database and response management, sales sheets, posters, signs, displays, promotional products, membership cards, satisfaction surveys, and warranty registration. Manages entire marketing communications programs from development through production.
• Variable Imaging Personalized document printing with four levels of personalization: (1) name and address, (2) versioning with text/images varying by recipient data, (3) transactional information with data-driven graphics, and (4) 100% variable layout with all elements changing per piece. Incorporates color impact research showing 82% increase in reader attention and recall.
• Media Replication CD, DVD, and cassette tape replication and duplication services ranging from 100 units to 150,000 units or mailers. Manages entire process from design concept to delivered material. Services include replication, sleeves and mailers, audio/video cassette duplication, kitting, packaging, addressing, and mailing/distribution.
• Non-Profit Services Specialized services for non-profit organizations and charity groups including direct mail, marketing, and custom business printing solutions designed to provide a competitive edge.

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• HP (Hewlett-Packard)coreTechnology or IntegrationMetroform is an authorized resale vendor for HP TELEform software, providing technical support and deployment services for electronic data capture applications. Long-standing relationship with HP technology integration spanning multiple customer implementations.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Vistaprint (Cimpress): Large-scale commercial printing and marketing services platform offering business cards, brochures, direct mail, and promotional products nationally and globally. Comparable to Metroform across the full commercial printing and direct mail portfolio, but operates at vastly greater scale and primarily through online self-service ordering.
• IWCO Direct: Major U.S. direct mail and marketing services provider offering end-to-end campaign management, data, printing, and postal optimization. Directly comparable to Metroform's direct mail service line, but operates at national scale with automated production lines.
• Avery Dennison: Global manufacturer of pressure-sensitive labels, barcode labels, and packaging materials. Comparable to Metroform's barcode label and custom label products, though at industrial scale and through distribution rather than project-based custom printing.
• Taylor Corporation: Large privately held printing and marketing services group with capabilities in commercial printing, direct mail, labels, and customer communications. Comparable to Metroform across multiple product lines, particularly commercial printing and direct mail, at significantly larger scale.

Direct peers

• 4over: Trade printing platform offering commercial printing, signage, labels, and direct mail services to print resellers and businesses. Comparable to Metroform's commercial printing and label product lines, with overlapping capabilities in barcode labels and direct mail production.
• MOO: Online commercial printing company specializing in business cards, brochures, postcards, and marketing collateral with premium finishes. Comparable to Metroform's commercial printing offering, though MOO focuses on self-service digital ordering and brand-forward design rather than managed direct mail campaigns.
• AlphaGraphics: Franchise-based commercial printing and marketing services network offering business printing, direct mail, signage, and promotional products to SMB and mid-market clients. Closely comparable to Metroform's service portfolio and customer base of small to large businesses.

Regional players

• Tradeprint: UK-based online commercial printing platform offering business printing, brochures, and direct mail primarily to the European market. Comparable business model and product mix to Metroform's commercial printing offering, but focused on a different geographic market.

Emerging players

• Stamps.com: Online postage and mailing services platform that automates postal shipping and direct mail for SMBs. Comparable to Metroform in the mailing automation and direct mail workflow space, though delivered as a software/SaaS solution rather than a print shop.
• AccuData Integrated Marketing: Direct and digital marketing services provider offering database management, list acquisition, printing, mailing, and response tracking. Closely comparable to Metroform's direct mail campaign management service, including the list management and presort optimization capabilities.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/metroform

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

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 Metroform