COMPANY HISTORY

Composition Systems Incorporated (CSI) was established in 1976 as a 7-person composition & typesetting union tradeshop. Over the next decade, CSI grew to over 150 employees and became the largest shop of its kind in the Metro DC/VA/MD area. Shortly after this period of rapid growth, CSI began exploring other avenues of expansion, including several areas within the graphic arts industry. At the core of CSI’s methodology is the adaptation of cutting-edge technology coupled with a highly skilled workforce. This is a concept that has been with CSI from the beginning and will continue to be woven into the fabric of CSI’s day-to-day operations. At the center of CSI is the drive to provide printing and graphics solutions; high quality products, delivered with fast turnaround times, at reasonable prices.

Once desktop publishing technology began to rapidly develop, it became clear that CSI would need to adapt to this new business model. Instead of ten individuals producing a single ad over the course of an hour, one individual could produce ten ads in the same amount of time. It was during this time that CSI began to focus heavily on electronic prepress and digital file processing. During the late 1980s and early 1990s, CSI scaled down its workforce to just under 20 people, purchased state-of-the-art prepress equipment, and began to recruit talented prepress employees.

As personal computer and printing technology developed, CSI would continue to re-examine its business practices and remain at the forefront of the industry. CSI entered into the large format color printing market early in 1995, and expanded into the short-run digital color market later that year. These business decisions ensured the future prosperity and success of CSI over the next seven years.

In December of 2000, CSI expanded its large format department by the addition of a Lightjet 430 digital photographic imager. In April of 2002, CSI added conventional offset printing services and purchased a $1 million CTP KBA 74 Karat printing press. In July of 2004, CSI formally stepped into the area of grand format printing and purchased a Gandinnovations Jeti 3300 solvent-based printer.

In December of 2005, CSI acquired Infinite Photo & Imaging, a graphics production company specializing in high-end museum display work. The merged firm brought approximately 20 staff-members with varying backgrounds in photography and in graphic arts, as well as a photographic imager, a Kodak RP30, and a digital fl atbed printer, the Durst Rho 160. Shortly thereafter, CSI purchased a Durst Lambda 130 photo imager.

In late 2006, CSI purchased an Inca Digital Columbia Turbo flatbed UV press, a machine capable of printing a 4’ x 8’ board in just over a minute. CSI also added advanced routing capabilities by installing a Kongsberg iXL-24 router with iCut functionality. In April of 2007, CSI expanded its digital printing capabilities by installing an HP Indigo 3500 digital press.

In September of 2009, CSI acquired Diversified Digital & Screen Printing, Inc, a conventional and digital screen-printer based in Philadelphia. To accommodate the needs of this new client-base, CSI began to focus on enhancing their retail signage and fulfillment division, a business concentration that has fueled CSI’s solid and steady growth despite the economic downturn.

In August of 2010, CSI expanded and upgraded its large format arsenal by adding an Inca Digital Onset S-70 flatbed UV press, one of only 6 in North America; a machine capable of printing a 5’ x 10’ board in around 15 seconds. CSI also added the Uvistar UVR 5032, a 5 meter UV roll-to-roll press capable of output speeds over 3000 square feet per hour, and a 12’ wide Inpro Jumbo 360 Guillotine cutter.

In April of 2011, CSI upgraded its digital press-room with the Indigo 7500 digital press. By doing so, CSI added the ability to print up to 7 colors, including PMS, custom colors, and white ink. Later that year, CSI upgraded their Uvistar to the Uvistar2, increasing productivity and print quality.

In April of 2014, CSI expanded its fabric offerings and installed a 3.3 meter wide Durst Rhotex 322 dye sublimation fabric press. The Rhotex is the fastest and highest quality dye sub direct-to-fabric printer in the market today and is capable of printing up to 1500 square feet per hour.

In the Fall of 2015, CSI added a 25’ long Miller Weldmaster 112-EX and also installed its second Durst press, the Durst Rho 312r, a 3.3 meter wide UV roll-to-roll press capable of output speeds over 3000 square feet per hour at near photo resolutions. The Rho 312r was also the first grand format device with white ink capability.

In December of 2016, CSI upgraded its flatbed printing capabilities and added their third Inca, an Onset X1 with white capability. The Onset is an expandable, upgradable platform capable of producing over 200 beds an hour, with up to 14 channels of ink flowing through its system.

In June of 2018, CSI upgraded and expanded its UV roll-to-roll printing capabilities and added their third Durst roll press, the new Durst Rho 512r Plus, a 5 meter (196”) UV press capable of output speeds over 4000 square feet per hour.

In August of 2018, CSI acquired DigiLink Incorporated, an award-winning Alexandria, VA-based offset and digital printer. Both companies are now co-located in DigiLink’s modern 50,000 sqft facility. The combination of CSI and DigiLink under one roof and into one organization provides current and prospective clients a one-stop, comprehensive solution for a complete range of printed products and related services.

In January of 2021, despite an uncertain climate surrounding the COVID-19 Pandemic, CSI invested in and installed a new Durst P5/350 Hybrid roll-to-roll and flatbed LED-UV press.

In January of 2023, CSI continued its long relationship with Durst US and installed their second Durst dye-sublimation press, a 3 meter P5Tex-iSUB. The new press greatly expands CSI’s fabric-producing capabilities, as well as enhancing already established quality and speed benchmarks.

In December of 2023, CSI added to its press arsenal once again, this time with an industry-leading dedicated LED-UV flatbed, the Nyala-4 by SwissQ.

Today, CSI operates in several concentrations of the printing & graphics landscape, focusing on such market segments as events, retail, POP, outdoor, trade show, short-run digital printing, and also excels by providing same-day turnaround for many projects. CSI works with virtually every type of business from a small privately-run firm to a large government organization, and everything in-between. CSI currently employs over 80 individuals in the MD/DC/VA/PA/DE/NJ/NY area and conducts operations from their main facility in Alexandria, VA.