Started in a small apartment in France as a direct marketing catalogue, by 1998 Vistaprint had started to evolve into an Internet based e-commerce company, albeit one that was still dedicated to the same customer needs. A big breakthrough came in 1999, when the company developed breakthroughs in both internet-based graphic design tools and in production methods that slashed the cost of low volume printing. Using patented online graphic design tools and a printing process known as “ganging,” the company produced short run, small quantity orders of business cards in a rapid fashion. This drove down the traditional printing and labor costs and allowed Vistaprint to offer cards at a much lower price than traditional print shops. The company’s untouchable free business card offer was first launched in May of 2000 and nearly got the company to profitability.
Today Vistaprint has over 25 localized websites that serve various markets around the world, over 4,100 employees, three state of art manufacturing facilities and 13 offices, including its corporate headquarters in Venlo, the Netherlands. With over two billion dollars in sales since 2006, Vistaprint is focused on giving the 50 million micro businesses around the world a chance to make an impression and stand out with professional marketing products and services at an affordable price.
