About Solar Arts Graphic Design

Solar Arts Graphic Design Screen Printing

In an era where the average life of a small business is about 18 years, Solar Arts Graphic Design stands apart. As the locally owned Tod Avenue company enters its 46th year, Owner/Founder/CEO Dan Klingensmith shares the secrets of his company’s longevity and how he has adapted his business model through decades of technological change.

When local businessman Dan Klingensmith first graduated from Youngstown State University with a degree in business and commercial art, he was offered a job with a local print shop. With a new wife and baby on the way, he made some changes then picked up some side-work that he did out of his garage, often working until well past 11PM do it get it all done. When the opportunity arose to buy his employer’s business, he jumped at the chance. “I was still working the same long hours,” he muses, “but at least I working for myself and my family plus we were growing the business.” He renamed the operation Solar Arts Graphic Design, to reflect his optimistic, peaceful mindset of an ideal utopian world.

Getting to know his customers and fulfilling their requests with a quality product are Klingensmith’s favorite part of owning a business. A stickler for detail and perfection, he prides himself on his record of never delivering an order late. He has achieved this by never over promising to a client. “I feel like it is better to be honest from the start than to disappoint someone later,” he says.

When Solar Arts Graphic Design had part of the Cleveland Indians 1995 World Series contract, out of nearly 30,000 shirts, only 20 shirts were unable to be used. That margin of error at .07 percent underscores his commitment to quality work (the industry standard is 2 percent error rate). In addition to working around the clock to fulfill that order, he and his staff also helped another printer finish the job because Solar Arts Graphic Design finished ahead of schedule. In a November 1995 Youngstown Business Journal story, Klingensmith describes the excitement surrounding that important project: “We didn’t mind working nonstop. We liked to be part of the Tribe victory.”

Entrepreneurship 101 advises startups not to rely too heavily on a few clients, but it is sometimes hard to resist. That was the case for Solar Arts Graphic Design and locally based national retailers Phar-Mor and Zoodles.

The chain of discount drug stores was growing so rapidly in the mid-1980s, that Solar Arts Graphic Design was printing 1,000 shirts for each new store openings and 600 dozen staff shirts monthly to meet the demand, as the company once employed 25,000 people in more than 300 stores, nationwide. Likewise, the whimsical high-end children’s clothing line, Zoodles, had their entire clothing line printed only at this Mahoning Commons facility. This prompted the company to invest in a top of the line automatic six-color press for consistent quality and later a 12-color unit to meet the client’s request for multicolor projects. However, with little warning for Klingensmith, Phar-Mor closed due to scandal and Zoodles unceremoniously moved their business out of the country then closed.

Such is the nature of the industry, Klingensmith says, noting the need to be able to pivot. With the demise of these prestigious clients, Solar Arts Graphic Design persevered, focusing their business on serving the Mahoning Valley’s numerous nonprofit organizations while maintaining a successful presence in the screen-printing world, both locally and nationally. “I’m the go-to guy for many startup screen printers,” he laughs. “They want to come in and hear ‘how it’s done” from the wise old expert.”

Klingensmith also has found ways to turn his and his family’s personal passions into business opportunities. He participated in the shirt making for the Boardman filming of ABC’s “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition”. He has printed shirts for the Youngstown Peace Race, the World Basketball League championship team, Youngstown Pride, Street Rodder magazine and both the national Troopers and Blue Coats Drum & Bugle Corp. His son, also Dan, is a nationally recognized GI Joe expert, which has led to contracts with Hasbro. Solar Arts Graphic Design currently produces all the concert t-shirts for Pittsburgh rock musician, Donnie Iris.

By participating in national organizations for screen printers, Solar Arts Graphic Design professional reputation has led to several word-of-mouth opportunities. They have done work for Cleveland-based American Greetings. They have printed shirts for the Pittsburgh Steelers/Dallas Cowboys Superbowl 30 game, the Pittsburgh Penguins hockey team, as well as holding exclusive printing rights to the CRONS line of sportswear. Solar Arts Graphic Design powerhouse status for excellence has led to several contracts with NCAA collegiate sports conferences. With the Youngstown location of halfway between Pittsburgh and Cleveland, halfway between New York and Chicago, there are many opportunities to expand outside the region.