Laura Lawton, president and majority owner of 76-year-old Lawton Printing Inc., says the Spokane company has made a “seven-figure purchase” of a digital press that she claims is the first of its kind in the Pacific Northwest.

Lawton says the company expects to receive the HP Indigo 10000 Digital Press by early October.

Hewlett Packard’s website says it’s the first press that company has developed that makes it possible to print digitally any size application, including pocket folders, six-page brochures, posters, and large lay-flat books.

 HP’s brochure says the digital press weighs about 24,000 pounds.

“Customers want customized, smaller print jobs but with the flexibility of a larger press,” says Lawton.

She declines to be more specific about how much the company paid for the digital press, but an HP customer service representative says the Indigo 10000, which went into production at the start of 2013, carries a $1.2 million price tag.

Today, the ability to print physically larger projects in smaller quantities for customers is critical to consumer satisfaction, Lawton says.

The Indigo 10000 has the ability to print 4,500 sheets per hour, which is more than twice the productivity of most digital, sheet-fed presses on the market now. 

The nearest commercial printer with such capability is in Salt Lake City, Lawton says.

In addition to the new digital press, Lawton Printing offers offset printing, data-driven direct mail programs, mailing services, data management and list creations, and an integrated marketing department that specializes in social media, events, email campaigns, and website analytics.

Lawton Printing also owns and operates File-Ez Folder Inc. Both businesses are located in 50,000 square feet of space at 4111 N. Mission.

Aaron Lawton, Laura Lawton’s brother, and Dana Lawton, her cousin, are minority owners in both businesses. Lawton Printing employs 30 workers and File-Ez Folder employs 20, she says.