Whatever your graphic needs, I have a solution!
WHO AM I?
Kimmer Sue - kimmer@fractaldreams.com
I've been working in the printing industry since 1989, when I came to California to help my Mom open a new Insty-Prints franchise. I had no idea what I was getting myself into. Since then I've worked at 3 different printing companies and been doing freelance design on the side for over 15 years. I am currently working full-time at freelance and building my business, Fractal Dreams.
So, what does 22 years of graphics experience really entail? The opportunity to bring really cool design to lots of different businesses. As well as getting to watch, learn and implement the huge changes in the printing industry.
During the process of helping Mom run Insty-Prints for 8 years I did everything from setting up the accounting to running the front counter and customer service to producing the printing. And, of course, doing all of the graphic design needed for the business along the way. I even ran the press for 6 months. It was a great learning experience. We started with a Macintosh IIcx computer and PageMaker. Training was a 3-week course at the franchisor in Minnesota and then off we went. Skills came from doing. And doing, and doing and doing. Along the way I discovered how much fun it is.
About a year before Insty-Prints closed its doors I started my own freelance company, Kimmer's Korner. Mom was a good sport and even let me put a sign up in the shop. Kimmer's Korner continued until shortly after I moved to the Central Valley, when we changed it to Fractal Dreams for tax reasons.
After Insty-Prints I spent 7-1/2 years working for FolgerGrahics in Hayward as their assistant production manager and then as the manager of the prepress department on the 2nd shift. There I learned about web printing as well as 4-color by becoming a stipper for a while. (For the uninformed, a stripper is someone that takes negative film that is produced from artwork and "strips" it together to create metal printing plates for printing presses.) It was at this company that I was able to help implement the change from film and stripping to direct-to-plate technology. That really brought all of the work to the computer. Before that the designers could afford to be a little sloppy as you could fix a lot in stripping. Not anymore. The new technology brought with it new problems. It turns out that just because you can create it on screen does not mean you can get it to print correctly to a printing plate. Now the challenge is figuring out how to make the final print match what the customer saw on their monitor. It is another facet of the job that I truly love. Getting to be a detective.
I made the move to Pinnacle Solutions due to a physical move to the Central Valley and the choice not to make the long trek into the Bay Area every day. There I simply did more of the same... Lots of file detective work and some design. Mostly just keeping up with the work.
The downturn in the economy finally caught up with me in February of this year, 2011, leaving me unemployed. Not one to take the negative side of life well I simply chose to move Fractal Dreams off the back burner and make it my focus and income source. Although I have been doing freelance work for many years I haven't done any marketing and only did one job last year. So it's really like starting a new company from the ground up.
I have never felt as positive and alive as I do now. I know that I'm making a positive difference to the companies and organizations that I'm helping through my graphic design. Drop me a note if you would like to see if I could help you too: kimmer@fractaldreams.com