When Pittsfield-based Interprint, Inc. recently decided to expand its manufacturing capabilities, some customers for its new product line suggested that it open a new satellite location in northern Georgia. Those customers advised Interprint that some costs, such as electricity rates, are lower in Georgia.

However, Interprint resisted. The company is 100% committed to growing in Pittsfield. The quality of the local workforce and the support of the City of Pittsfield further convinced Interprint to expand here.

Interprint is North America’s leading decor printer. Customers like Formica, Armstrong, Wilson Art, and Pergo Flooring use Interprint products to make countertops, cabinets, furniture, wall panels, floors and other laminate surfaces. These customers bind layers of paper and resin into a laminate sandwich to wood-based boards. The decorative layer created by Interprint gives the product its visual appeal.

“People around the country have Interprint products from Pittsfield in their homes and don’t realize it,” said Peter Stasiowski, Interprint’s director of communications.

“And, if we’re not in their home, we are part of their life. Interprint is part of the surface of the desk they sit at in their office. It’s in the wall of the elevator that they take every day. It’s in the restaurants they frequent. It’s all over the place, every day,” added Bill Hines, Jr., co-managing director.

The company specializes in making surfaces that look like the natural environment.

“Most of what we print starts in its natural state. We’ve got a materials and woodworking studio here in Pittsfield. We source materials from lumber yards and rock quarries from around the region. We finish them the way our customers want and then use a large format, high-resolution scanner to capture the actual image our customers want in a digital format. And that’s happening here in Pittsfield,” said Stasiowski. “Our goal is to ensure that the consumer cannot tell the difference between natural surfaces and images created by Interprint.”

Interprint, headquartered in Germany, started its U.S. operations in Pittsfield in 1985 with one employee. Since then, all its growth has happened here. The company now employs about 200 people in its Pittsfield facility, which at 224,000 square feet is the size of four football fields.

“The City of Pittsfield was a big part of our success from the beginning. The city always supported us, including with incentives and by working with the state,” said Manoj Vengalil, one of two co-managing directors.

In 2006, Interprint needed to expand out of its Peck’s Road facility. They worked with the city, which found a large enough site to keep the company in Pittsfield. The new plant is on state Route 41 on the city’s west side.

“We had a lot of support from the city to set up our operations. They extended the sewer lines for us, helped us bring in natural gas and more,” said Bill Hines, Jr., co-managing director.

Until 2015, all of the Interprint decorative layers were printed on paper. The company was one of the first to move to thermoplastics.

“We started printing on thermoplastic films for luxury vinyl tile and other markets. We rapidly built the business and are now the industry leader,” said Hines. “Thermoplastic-based decor has become a significant portion of our total business in just 10 years.”

In 2023, the company decided that it needed to expand its current facility by one-third to house the new equipment to meet rising demand. The expansion cost with equipment would mean a $31.5-million investment in the local economy.

“As we were investigating expanding our operations to satisfy more of the market, we learned that the entire industry was in northern and western Georgia. Some key customers urged us to put a second factory down there,” said Hines. “We were being courted by some areas of Georgia and had discussions with Chambers of Commerce there. One particular customer was very eager and was helping us look at properties,” said Hines.

However, the company really wanted to expand its operations locally because the support departments needed for the new products are in Pittsfield, and the quality of the workers in Pittsfield and the surrounding area make the city an excellent place for business.