Photography by Stephen Elledge

The process of printing has never exactly been friendly to Mother Earth. Since the first printers, it’s been an unavoidable fact that trees had to be chopped down to make paper.

But then again, when Ben Franklin was printing in the 1700s, he wasn’t nearly as concerned about the environment as the people at Ranch Road Creative Solutions.

Austin-based printing and marketing company Ranch Road has quietly been providing promotional services to its clients while keeping its carbon footprint to a minimum and helping the community around it since 1995.

But to call Ranch Road just a printing company would be doing it a disservice. Among its 10 employees, the company can provide design, advertising, creative solutions and technological solutions to the promotional and marketing needs of its clients.

“We basically handle all of it,” said Tanner Shepard, company co-owner and co-founder. “It’s a one-stop location.”

Many businesses look to multiple companies to design their logo, print their marketing material and distribute it to consumers. But at Ranch Road, one company can do all of that, especially when it comes to the design aspect.

“We’re not just your standard printer,” Shepard said. “We are also a full-fledged design team.”

The creative process and ability aren’t sacrificed among the company’s printing and marketing abilities, either. They’re integral parts of the company’s strengths.

“The No. 1 thing is we have that full design team watching over any print project,” Shepard said. “Whether we’re designing or not, we have that approach. That designer’s eye is always watching the process.”

The designer’s eye and admirable values have led Ranch Road to gaining major clients such as 3M, the University of Texas and Dell without forgetting about the little guy in Austin.

“We enjoy working with the Fortune 500,” Shepard said. “We’re a good fit for that. At the same time, a mom-and-pop business or a small to medium-sized business, we find, [is] a good partner.”

The design team and experience Ranch Road offers aren’t the only things that attract clients to the company. Ranch Road continues to utilize some of the latest technology in the marketing and printing industries in order to help the environment, as well as help its clients target the markets they want to attract.

First and foremost, Ranch Road uses digital printing, which prints images using digital images instead of traditional methods, thus reducing the toll taken by printing on the environment. The process, according to Shepard, reduces the need for superfluous steps and extra inventory.

“It’s tremendously less than traditional printing,” Shepard said. “Digital printing is more streamlined and more efficient.”

In addition to digital printing, the company also pays higher utility bills to get with the Austin Energy plan, which helps reduce the pollutants placed in the air from energy.

Among other advanced technology tools that the company uses are QR codes, personalized URLs and hyper-specific direct mail. The technology helps Ranch Road bring its clients into 2011 and communicate with its customers in this day and age.

If you are unfamiliar with QR codes, it’s time to get with the program. The codes look similar to a bar code and can be scanned by smart phones. Once scanned, the code will take customers to a set webpage or website where they can learn more about the product or service.

“It can take anyone at any time with a mobile phone quickly to a landing page or a promotion,” Shepard said.

Personalized URLs are another tool of new technology that takes potential customers to their own, unique micro-website through direct mail. The process allows Ranch Road’s clients to target their markets with more accuracy and detail than ever before. As Ranch Road’s website says, “Personalization works.”

All of these technologies can be integrated and employed as part of Ranch Road’s marketing solutions for its clients.

And don’t assume the people at Ranch Road are only about saving the environment and geeking out about technology. They also care deeply about the world around them. Ranch Road often offers its services pro-bono for nonprofit and charity causes.

Most recently, the company helped market Champions to Cure Duchenne, an event in April that helped raise money and awareness for muscular dystrophy disease. The event is only a small part on the long list that Ranch Road has helped in the past. Other organizations include Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Texas and Meals on Wheels.

When asked about the charity work, Shepard is modest and won’t say much.

“That’s just a big part of our core values: giving back to the community,” he said.

Shepard also acknowledges his employees for all of the success the company has experienced lately, especially when it comes to the efforts the company takes to give back to the community.

Ranch Road was also named one of the fastest-growing companies in Central Texas by the Austin Business Journal. The award, according to Shepard, could only be achieved with the company’s team, and by joining business groups such as the Entrepreneurs’ Organization.

“It’s a tremendous compliment, and it’s a tribute to our team,” Shepard said. “They’re the ones [who] make it happen.”

Whether it’s with a creative solution or the latest gadgets, Ranch Road has the answer for many companies’ marketing and printing needs.

Ranch Road hasn’t just jumped on the eco-friendly or the tech bandwagon. It is the bandwagon. Now it’s time for you to get on.

To find more information about Ranch Road, or to receive a quote for a project, please visit www.ranchroad.com.