An interview with Marcin Wilk, owner of the nationwide Advertdruk printing house and president of Advert Studio Sp. z o.o., who discusses innovative printing technologies, meeting individual customer needs, and fostering friendly relationships with employees and the local community. He was recently honored with the title of Leader by Vocation.
How long have you been working in the printing industry?
About 20 years, but I’ve been running Advertdruk for 18.
So, the company is now an adult. And how did it begin?
I started with simple graphic designs for clients—business cards, flyers, posters—with the first, simplest machine; with a cutter, with the simplest printer. I organized it all myself. I cut, shipped, and then rented the first premises. I installed larger printers there. At the time, I was renting a space from a housing cooperative in Ruda Śląska, only about 40 square meters, but that was sufficient at the time. I had two printers there, a simple cutter, and a stapler, and I was doing my first, simplest printing jobs – posters and flyers.
And what services do you currently provide at your Chorzów-based printing house?
Currently, 8% of our production is newspapers and 5% books. Generally, we specialize in printing training materials, advertising leaflets, posters, books, envelopes, brochures, manuals, business cards, calendars, posters, catalogs, postcards, folders, photo books, medical forms, prescriptions, invitations, surveys, price lists, instructions, tickets, season tickets, personalized prints, and so on. Currently, we print exclusively on FSC-certified paper (raw material from ecologically responsible or 100% recycled sources), and we also support orders using 100% recycled paper. We currently have two production halls filled to the brim with paper. We guarantee the highest print quality and express turnaround times.
You also offer reasonable prices. What gives you an advantage over the competition?
We have a modern machine park featuring brand-new Japanese and German-made machines, as well as an extensive bindery (approximately 200 machines and equipment). Qualified staff and IT systems allow us to quickly complete every order – for large, medium, and small volumes. Furthermore, production takes place 24 hours a day.
Thanks to our new investments – including eight state-of-the-art Japanese digital presses on the market – Canon Vario Print, AccurioPress, and Bizhub Press C8000 – we can offer the highest quality and most affordable digital printing in Poland for books, manuals, brochures, training materials, magazines, flyers, posters, invitations, packaging, labels, etc., with express turnaround times – as little as 2 hours from order placement. I suspect we’re currently the best-equipped digital printing house in Poland.
You’re well-regarded in the market; apparently, you gain customers through recommendations. What else influences this?
Hmm, maybe it’s our flexibility. For example, we produce custom orders using a die-cutter. If someone has a specific shape in mind, envelopes are often a very important product for our clients. We print them using a custom color profile, created specifically for a specific substrate. Constant, random operator inspection, meticulous calibration, and daily maintenance are crucial. Although we take the utmost care to ensure the quality of each envelope, we encourage customers to order prototypes. Only a printed prototype guarantees 100% certainty as to what the final product will look like. The print is made using water-based pigment inks, making it completely eco-friendly and safe for health.
And how did you acquire your skills?
I first attended a construction technical school in Ruda Śląska, and later graduated from the University of Economics and Administration in Bytom, and then the Silesian University of Technology.
Do you support any institutions?
We support sports clubs, schools, and the arts. We print materials for them free of charge. A niche film was recently released, and we were asked to print posters and invitations. We also made posters for kids at a soccer academy. I’m currently helping a group of people from Strzybnica near Tarnowskie Góry. I support them because we know each other well. We also print albums for the school. Imagine that the principal has a German album from 1880, about 600 pages, in her archives. She scanned it, and we’ll be reproducing it. Currently, these materials are in such poor condition that they can’t be given to students.
What are you most proud of?
Perhaps the fact that the employees enjoy coming to work and are committed to their tasks. A large portion of the team has been with us for years. I must admit, we don’t see any significant turnover. Almost 30 people already work here; more aren’t needed due to the advanced technologies we use.
Do you acquire funds for projects?
Not yet, but we’re planning a move. Once we sort that out, we’ll tackle these kinds of projects.
How do you recharge your batteries?
Generally, I enjoy being close to nature; I even moved my family to an area closer to the forest. At 40, I realized I didn’t want to live in a noisy place, full of shops, crowds, and cars. I simply needed an escape. I enjoy walking in the woods or riding my bike with my children and wife.
So what can I wish you for your future years of development?
I think the most important thing will be finding a balance between working at the printing house and relaxing outside the city, because that’s where I recharge my batteries. And, of course, it’s very important to spend a lot of time with my children. This division isn’t easy, especially since the company is constantly growing and constantly requires my activity and commitment.
Wojciech Skowroński
Beata Sekuła
