WILKES-BARRE - Stephen Taren started his company as a small T-shirt print shop 23 years ago on Waller Street. Thanks to the Internet, it diversified and grew.
Mr. Taren decided to use his software knowledge and apply artwork on other things. First, he applied it on vehicles and banners. Then, he made a cardboard cutout of his son about eight years ago, and he discovered the reaction was overwhelming.
He now owns the Wilkes-Barre-based company, LifeSizeCustomCutouts.com, a division of Wet Paint T-Shirts, which sells cardboard cutouts all over the country. His business expanded to include about 400 domain names and about 200 other websites, including the popular Moviecutouts.com, which distributes officially license celebrity cardboard cutouts.
LifeSizeCustomCutouts.com has just landed a contract with Budweiser to produce 3,000 cardboard displays to help promote upcoming rodeos in San Antonio and Houston.
"This just shows you the power of the Internet. It's so beautiful," Mr. Taren said. "How would I have met these people? They found us online. They started discussions with us and now we're doing two rodeos."
Budweiser is not the first nationally known company to use Wet Paint's services to create promotional materials. Their extensive client list includes MTV, NBC, Comedy Central, Harley-Davidson, Microsoft, Yahoo, Conan O'Brien, Alice Cooper and Dolly Parton.
Scott Paull, general manager of LifeSizeCustomCutouts.com, said the company now employs about 12 people and they make an average of 250 cardboard cutouts a week, with Christmas being the busiest time. They have invested about $500,000 in equipment over the last five years, including a flatbed printer and cutting machine called a CNC Router.
"As we were growing, we bought bigger machines that increased capacity," Mr. Paull said.
The revolution of more people shopping on the Internet eight years ago came exactly at the moment that digital printing equipment allowed the Wilkes-Barre business to make more cutouts faster and easier, Mr. Taren said.
They formerly made the cutouts by hand and glued them to a board. When they got one order a day, they were thrilled, he said. Last weekend, they got 200 orders. This past week, they were making 500 cutouts including the Budweiser contract. They also make heads printed on cardboard cutouts called "Face Ka Bobs."
Mr. Paull said the business formerly was a two-man operation. Cardboard cutouts "really took our business to the next level," he said.
"I think the growth is amazing," Mr. Paull said. "Every week, there is something new, whether it's different clients, large corporations or customers who want a lot of products. One lady got a cutout of every person in her family."
If it wasn't for the Internet, Mr. Taren said he would be out of business since the T-shirt printing business is difficult and there is a great deal of competition. In the cardboard cutout industry, however, there are only about 10 players throughout the country, he said.
"I picked a little niche and got good at it," he said. "My niche is cardboard cutouts and life-size cutouts. That's why we have 12 people working here."
Contact the writer: dallabaugh@citizensvoice.com