What Publications Plus does

Publications Plus, Inc. is a privately held, family-owned commercial printing company founded in 1986 and headquartered at 884 Lagoon Commercial Blvd, Montgomery, Alabama. The company operates as a full-service print shop with 51-100 employees, run by an owner-operator team led by President Harvey Starling, Vice President Madelaine Gilchrist, and VP Press Operations Robby Starling, and is served by department-level managers across sheet-fed, bindery, wide-format, digital, composition, and production functions.

Under a single roof, Publications Plus runs four production technologies: a heat-set web press for long-run coated and uncoated roll work, sheet-fed offset for precision mid-run jobs on heavier stock, digital printing for short-run and variable-data jobs, and wide-format digital for signage, banners, wall wraps, and POP displays. The company couples production with pre-press and composition, a bindery, an in-house direct mailing department that acts as an authorised USPS EDDM provider (with NCOA, drop shipping, tabbing, inserting, and variable data), and a Customer Print Portal (client.pubplus.net) for fast repeat ordering. A self-serve e-commerce storefront (store.pubplus.net) handles standard small-format products and subdivision signage, while custom, large-format, and specialty projects route through a quote-based direct-sales motion.

Revenue is generated through transactional per-unit sales on the storefront (e.g., flyers from $0.40 each, brochures from $0.47 each, business cards from $75 per order, subdivision signs at $72 per sign), per-piece and per-service fees on direct mail, project-based pricing on custom print, design, and Website Solutions work (typically 4-8 week timelines with 25% deposits), and add-on installation services for signage in the Montgomery region. The customer base is a regional mix of local SMBs, real estate professionals and HOAs, nonprofits and community organisations (YMCA of Greater Montgomery, Frazer UMC, Main Street Wetumpka, Alabama Deep Sea Fishing Rodeo), healthcare and government accounts (Ivy Creek Healthcare, Montgomery Fire Department, Okaloosa County), and event organisers, with no single customer dominating and no external investors, private equity, or venture capital ownership disclosed.

Name

Publications Plus

Legal name

Publications Plus, Inc.

Website

https://pubplus.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Publications Plus, Inc. is a family-owned, full-service commercial printer founded in 1986 in Montgomery, Alabama, offering offset and digital printing, wide-format signage, direct mailing, design, and Website Solutions to local businesses, real estate professionals, nonprofits, event organisers, and government accounts across the Southeast United States.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Commercial Printing Services

NAICS

Printing and Related Support Activities (3231), Newspaper, Periodical, Book, and Directory Publishers (5131)

SIC

Services-Mailing, Reproduction, Commercial Art & Photography (7330), Service Industries For The Printing Trade (2790)

akta.pro primary industry

Finishing & Post-Press Services (Cutting, Folding, Collating, Laminating, Foil, Emboss) (MPAJALAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

Security & Specialty Print (Anti-Counterfeit, Secure Docs, Watermarks) (MPAJALAI)

Keywords

• Commercial printing services
• Wide-format signage
• Direct mail services
• Offset printing
• Graphic design services

Headquarters

HQ city

Montgomery

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Offset and Digital Print Products: One-time sale of printed materials including magazines, business cards, flyers, brochures, postcards, posters, invitations, envelopes, and business forms. Customers pay per unit based on quantity, size, paper stock, and finishing options. Both short-run digital and long-run offset printing available.
2. Wide-Format Signage Products: Sale of signage products including yard signs, banners, subdivision signs, real estate riders, exterior/ interior signs, wall wraps, POP displays, window clings, floor decals, magnets, and custom-shaped signs. Includes associated hardware (H-stakes, plastic hardware sets, wooden stakes).
3. Direct Mailing Services: End-to-end mailing services including EDDM (Every Door Direct Mail), variable data printing, mailing list management, envelope printing and inserting, tabbing, and USPS-compliant processing. Revenue generated per-piece and per-service.
4. Design Services: Custom graphic design services for branding, logo design, print file preparation, and general graphic design. Offered as an add-on service to customers needing design assistance before printing.
5. Website Solutions: Custom website design and development services including CMS sites, static sites, e-commerce, and internal tools. Revenue is project-based with 25% deposit required, typically 4-8 weeks from start to finish.
6. Signage Installation Services: On-site installation services for signage projects in the Montgomery area, including wall wraps, exterior signs, and interior signage. Provided as an add-on to signage product sales.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Publications Plus is a full-service commercial printing company in Montgomery, Alabama that produces offset and digital printed materials, wide-format signage, custom publications, and direct mail, complemented by in-house graphic design, mailing, and signage installation services. It operates a self-serve e-commerce store for standard print products and a consultative quote-based sales motion for custom, complex, and large-format projects. The company serves local businesses, real estate professionals, nonprofits, government entities, and event organizers across the Montgomery, Alabama region.

Product overview

Publications Plus is a full-service print shop founded in 1986 and located in Montgomery, Alabama, offering expert offset and digital printing, custom designs, and wide-format signage. The company operates as a unified printing services provider combining in-house printing capabilities with design and mailing services. The core product portfolio spans four main categories: (1) Magazines and Publications including custom magazines with various binding options; (2) Signage including subdivision real estate signs, yard signs, exterior/interior signs, banners, X banners, and window clings; (3) Small Print products including business cards, flyers, posters, postcards, invitations, envelopes, and floor decals; and (4) Promotional items including custom pens, POP displays, and hand fans. These products are supported by complementary services including heat-set web printing, sheet-fed printing, digital printing, wide-format printing, direct mailing (including EDDM), binding and finishing, website solutions, and graphic design services. The company also provides a Customer Print Portal for repeat orders and sells signage accessories including metal H-stakes, wooden stakes, and plastic hardware sets.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Magazines

Quantifiable outcome

• Alabama Deep Sea Fishing Rodeo magazine reaches over 75,000 spectators per year
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature10 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• United States Postal Service (USPS)coreOthersPublications Plus is an authorized EDDM (Every Door Direct Mail) provider, leveraging USPS EDDM services to offer customers cost-effective geographic-based mailing without requiring a mailing list. Handles all USPS paperwork and processing in-house for customers.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Allegra Print & Imaging: National franchise network providing commercial printing, signage, direct mail, and marketing services. Comparable service mix and customer base (local businesses, nonprofits, government), with similar in-house production model.
• FASTSIGNS: National franchise focused on signage, banners, and wide-format printing for businesses. Strong overlap in signage products, exterior/interior signs, and wide-format capabilities, serving similar local commercial customers.
• SpeedPro Imaging: National franchise specializing in large-format and wide-format printing for businesses. Directly comparable in wide-format signage, banners, and vehicle/floor graphics, with similar B2B local market approach.
• AlphaGraphics: National franchise network offering commercial printing, signage, and marketing services to local businesses. Directly comparable in product breadth (print, signage, design) and SMB target market, with similar self-serve plus consultative sales approach.
• Minuteman Press International: International franchise network offering print, design, and marketing services to local businesses. Highly comparable in product breadth (business cards, brochures, signage, direct mail) and SMB-to-mid-market customer focus.
• PIP Printing & Marketing Services: National franchise for printing, signage, and marketing services targeting local businesses. Comparable product portfolio (business cards, brochures, banners, direct mail) and SMB customer base.

Regional players

• Infomax (Iowa-based regional printer): Regional commercial print and office solutions provider in the Midwest. Comparable in offering commercial printing, document management, and mailing services to local businesses and government entities.
• The Haines Group: Regional commercial printer serving the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast US with print, mail, and marketing services. Comparable in-house capabilities and direct mail focus, but operates at a larger geographic scale.

Broad incumbents

• Cimpress (parent of Vistaprint): Global large-scale printing and marketing services platform. Operates multiple print brands and competes with Publications Plus on standardized small-format products (business cards, flyers) through online mass-customization, but serves national market.
• Marco (now part of RICOH): Large regional managed print and document services provider serving the Midwest US. Offers broader portfolio of managed print services, technology solutions, and commercial printing, but shares multi-technology print production approach.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/PublicationsPress
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/publications-plus

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 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 Publications Plus