About Us - Smart Set

Dedicated to the craft of print

As one of the oldest desktop publishing companies in Minneapolis, we’ve been around the old book block. In our quarter century in the business, we’ve just about done it all. Now we’re located in the heart of the NE Mineapolis arts district. The arc of this experience leads to a unique point in the convergence of technology and communication. State of the art technology merged with centuries-old bindery methods. Pixels to print to products, pieces that stir us in ways that technology can’t always do. We’re not ready to declare printing dead. We believe the future lies in printing as a craft, and putting skill, experience and beauty into every project.

Steel and silicon

The Smart Set is engaged and involved in tech, but in the service of art, the whole process overseen by aesthetically experienced technicians with an eye to detail that no machine can replace. Simply put, we turn ideas and art into tangible form, something to enjoy with all your senses. Silicon and steel, brains and brawn, combining craft and technology in harmonious synergy.

This new outlook is illustrated by our new shop layout. One side is digital, silicon chips crunching pixels in millions of calculations per second, running sophisticated software. Inputs such as scanning, digital photography, content creation and proofing lead to the end result of our digital process, the incredible print quality of the Xerox 700 Digital Color Press.

The other half of our shop is a growing collection of heavy steel and iron machines, an accumulation of old and trusty tools, from cutters to hole drillers, machines that turn pixels and toner into beautiful and engaging print pieces. We are able to take your project from concept to completion, giving us more control, faster turnaround times and better value.

From binding systems for perfect binding, wiro, and saddle stitching, to scoring, folding, even shrink wrapping, we merge high tech digital design and print with unique and creative solutions that will make your ideas stand out in the clutter. We don’t “gang” run jobs, for us, each project gets special attention from start to finish. We love the challenge.

Our film imagesetters create high resolution film for letterpress and flexo printers. Our technical expertise and metal plate production make us an important partner for many traditional offset printers. Artists come for high quality books, portfolios and fine art inkjet prints as well as great pricing on postcards and posters.

Non-profits look to us for design consistency, our 100% post-consumer waste recycled paper, and our focus on finding creative solutions that meet their communications needs. And Fortune 500 companies value our calibrated color, high technical standards and prompt fulfillment. Steel and silicon. The Smart Set.