About Us
Unique began with humble roots in the blueprinting industry. In 1985, Jay Hartway and his parents decided to take the leap into small business ownership by purchasing Unique Reproductions. It was then a blueprint company that served mainly oil and gas businesses and architectural clients. A few years later, the oil and gas industry in Colorado shrank suddenly and dramatically, decreasing demand for the blueprint and mapping services Unique then offered. They just happened to have a small printing press in the back of the shop that went from a side offering to one of the main services in demand.
Jay and his parents decided to pivot their budding business into a full-service print company by mastering this first print press, then investing in a second machine and the bindery and finishing equipment to be full service. They discovered that, unlike the blueprint and copy industry, traditional print services could be won by providing better quality instead of a commodity where faster and cheaper were the only distinguishing factors. This newfound quality service matrix allowed Unique Litho to become an industry leader in Colorado for print and mail services.
Not wanting to just be another printer in Colorado, Jay had passion and foresight to see the environmental impact the print industry had on the world and ways it could be done better. He set out to find more “eco-friendly” methods and practices to bring to the company. He first began investing in equipment and adapting technology to reduce the environmental impacts. In 2009 Unique Litho became the first print company in Colorado to reach the Gold Level in the state of Colorado’s Environmental Leadership Program. We are also very proud that Unique now partners with PrintReleaf, a nonprofit organization that plants trees to offset paper consumption. To date, we have helped plant thousands of trees directly proportional to all our client’s paper consumption. You can learn more about PrintLeaf and the environmental impact of their programs.
Jay and his family weathered many storms in their almost 40 years in business. To continue in the tradition of expansion and purpose, Jay recently sold Unique to another Colorado company, Ascend Novus. Jay remains on with Unique through the transition. He looks forward to watching the small print and mail company that he built with his parents become a Colorado institution under the professional management of Ascend. One thing will always be true for Unique. We are here to serve high quality print, direct mail, and marketing services to our Colorado communities for generations to come. Welcome to our growing family!
Unique has been serving Denver metro, the front range and all of Colorado for almost 40 years.
Contact us to discuss your upcoming marketing campaign and discover how the print and direct marketing industries can expand your reach and create positive return on your efforts!