The shop behind the print
InstaPrints is an owner-operated commercial printer in Albany, New York. No franchise, no call center — just a floor full of equipment and people who have run it for years.
Our story
Founded on Elm Street, still on Elm Street
Daniel Rodriguez opened InstaPrints in 2016 after a decade running presses for larger regional printers. The idea was unglamorous: quote honestly, proof carefully, and finish work on the date you promised. Ten years later that is still the whole business plan.
Today the shop occupies a 4,200 square foot unit at 525 Elm Street with digital presses, a 60-inch latex large-format printer, a full bindery and a finishing bench. Roughly two thirds of our work comes from repeat customers across the Capital Region — restaurants, dental and medical practices, realtors, contractors, breweries, schools and nonprofits — and the rest ships to customers around the country.
We are small enough that the owner still answers the phone and large enough to run a 20,000-piece mailing without blinking.
Timeline
Ten years, one address
- 2016
Daniel Rodriguez opens InstaPrints with one digital press and a cutter in a 900 sq ft unit on Elm Street.
- 2018
First large-format latex printer arrives; banners, yard signs and vehicle graphics join the service list.
- 2020
Shop pivots to short-run labels, safety signage and window graphics for local restaurants and clinics.
- 2022
Bindery expands with saddle-stitch and perfect binding, bringing catalog work in-house.
- 2024
Nationwide shipping launches; online proofing replaces the old email-attachment workflow.
- 2026
Nine people on the floor, 11,000+ completed jobs, and still the same phone number.
The crew
Who you will actually talk to
Daniel Rodriguez
Owner & Press Operator
Started in prepress at 19, bought his first press at 31. Reviews every color-critical proof personally.
Renee Alvarado
Production Manager
Runs the schedule board and is the reason due dates are quoted conservatively.
Marcus Bell
Large Format Lead
Handles vinyl, substrates and installation prep for signage clients.
Sofia Nguyen
Prepress & Design
Fixes broken artwork, builds dielines, and sets up variable-data runs.
Standards
How we work
Written proof approval
No job goes to press without a signed-off digital proof. It protects both of us.
Documented color
House profiles and stored press curves mean a reorder in March matches the run from last August.
Responsible stock
FSC-certified and recycled papers are stocked as standard, and plate-free digital printing keeps chemistry out of the process.
Data handling
Customer artwork is stored on encrypted drives and purged 24 months after the last order unless you ask us to keep it.
Fair scheduling
We quote the date we can hit, not the date you want to hear.
Local first
Where we can, we buy stock and services from suppliers in New York State.
Need it printed this week?
Send your artwork or a rough idea. Daniel or one of the crew replies with a firm price and a production date, usually within a few business hours.