History

1902 Peninsular Engraving founded.

1926 Medbury Ward established.

1927 Willys Knight photo-engraving plates produced for Saturday Evening Post. This ad, a double page spread, was the first ever to be produced in full color for a national magazine.

1933 Fred Seidel and Clarence Farris become new owners and rename company to Seidel-Farris. Paul J. Clark hired as Superintendent.

1946 Paul Clark leaves Seidel-Farris and forms Standard Engraving.

1948 DoAll Clark System, patented and introduced by Paul Clark for Standard Engraving, provides flush mounted photo-engravings.

1955 Seidel-Farris merges with Standard Engraving Company. Paul and Tom Clark form Seidel-Farris-Clark, Inc.

1962 Seidel-Farris-Clark becomes one of the first suppliers of direct screen separations to the lithographic process.

1967 First electronic scanner of its type and size in the U.S.; the Hell Chromagraph with reflective scanning is installed.

1967 Installed the first 800 telephone number (Watts line) in Ohio. To better serve customers, manage work and speed delivery of reproductions.

1968 SFC builds the first computer estimating program for separations which leads to a standardized costing system for buyers.

1969 First in the industry to provide color separations of the Man On The Moon project within twelve hours of the original’s release from NASA.

1969 Tom Clark produces award winning lithographs for National Geographic utilizing new reflective scan technology.

1970 Paul J. Clark, President of Seidel-Farris-Clark, Inc., chosen as one of 12 men who most contributed to the enrichment of the graphic arts industry.

1972 Installed the first DC300 Hell Scanner in a trade separation plant in the U.S.

1974 Installed first automated stripping equipment in the world; four bed auto stripper Misomex to speed the manual layout of brochures and national magazines.

1974 Plant fire; we start over.

1978 PhotoQuest developed with world-wide patents offering the ability to store thousands of images effectively on color microfiche for World Bank, Amtrak, 3M and Time Life.

1982 Color Pictorial Services formed to support the Stock Image marketplace.

1983 SFC Graphics, Inc. formed from Seidel-Farris-Clark.

1983 SFC Graphics acquired the marketing assets of the Graphic Arts Corporation of Ohio.

1983 Co-op program initiated with Bowling Green State University.

1984 Repro45 System developed. A complete Image Management System to help Art Directors from around the USA choose photographs and communicate retouching, cropping and resolution without the help of computers.

1989 SFC Graphics installs the Scitex computer based layout system to assemble magazines, brochures and cartons to output color critical film separations on the Dolev film plotters.

1989 Installed first Macintosh II DTP workstations capable of communicating with Scitex Mainframe Visionary System.

1990 Chosen as the original beta test site for high capacity re-writable optical disc technology on Scitex Equipment.

1991 Digital Iris Proofing installed with Scitex Trans-4, by marking the dawn of a new age in the printing industry allowing Art Directors and Printers to proof work without going to film first.

1993 SFC Graphics is nationally recognized for performing critical color reproductions for GM, Pontiac, Fleer Baseball Cards, Kroger Ice Cream, J-Crew Catalog, and Matrix Hair Products, as well as contributing to the Toledo region’s corporations, advertising agencies and printers

1993 Installed Scitex Dolev 800 & Dolev 400 film plotters with Scitex and direct Macintosh to PS/2 RIP to meet the film output demand.

1993 Paul R. Clark, grandson of Paul J. Clark, joins SFC Graphics after completing studies at Rochester Institute of Technology.

1994 In coordination with National Geographic, SFC produces first digital photo-print exposition at the Cosmos Club in Washington, DC for National Geographic photographer Bruce Dale.

1996 SFC enters into a joint venture with Graziani Photography in Pittsburgh to install one of the first Digital Photo Studios.

1996 Tom Clark develops patented processes to capture and reproduce fine art through digital photography and forms Art Safe.

1997 Scott Flom joins SFC Graphics as Vice President Sales and Marketing and expands sales to include: Toledo, Detroit, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Columbus and Winston-Salem.

1998 Printing Industry begins major shift to digital and in-house pre-press. SFC moves to Corporate Direct Marketing and Agency Alliance sales strategy.

1999 SFC Graphics makes a significant investment in digital printing capabilities with the installment of 6 wide format printers, 2 small format printers and a complete finishing and laminating department.

1999 American Eagle Outfitters Inc. signs with SFC and Graziani Photography to manage photographic reproduction of their clothing for catalog and Internet.

1999 Delivered first all digital print ad file for Dana Corp DCC and Hart Associates to Fortune Magazine transmitted via the Internet.

2000 SFC acquires assets of competitor in Cleveland and opens Cleveland production and sales offices.

2001 Developed an in-house job tracking and Internet-based order fulfillment software to assist in the production and delivery of retail signage for Owens Corning; enabling OC to move to a zero-warehousing and just-in-time display delivery.

2001 Paul R. Clark, named President.

2001 Clark Editions is formed to market fine art reproductions.

2001 Acclaima.com founded by Michael Hoffman and Paul Clark to develop Photo-Personalization direct marketing technology.

2001 World-renowed sailing photographer Onne van der Wal contracts with SFC to produce Gicleé photo reproductions for his Newport, RI, gallery.

2002 SFC expands its technology offering with the first digital flatbed Zund printer in the US printing industry.

2002 Internet ordering and fulfillment sites are developed for the real estate marketplace, allowing agents to customize their site signs on-line.

Today SFC is enacting an extensive growth initiative and expansion of our production capabilities and capacity.