Janco Press
20 Floyds Run, Bohemia, NY 11716, USA
www.jancopress.com

Janco Press doesn’t compete on size; it competes on precision.

Inside its 15,000-square-foot facility in Bohemia, Long Island, NY, a 12-person team focuses on the kind of label work many converters prefer to avoid – heavy-white clear applications, extended content constructions, intricate embellishments, and jobs where color tolerance and execution leave little room for error. If a project is decorative, technically demanding, or engineered around a real-world application challenge, that’s where Janco wants to compete.

That mindset feels less like commodity manufacturing and more like competitive sport – which is fitting for a family whose roots include Division I baseball and collegiate ski racing. But the competitive streak at Janco didn’t start on the field or the slopes; it started generations ago in New York City and is woven into the company’s family history. 

Four generations of the Janco family have worked in printing, beginning with Janco Press owner Seth Janco’s grandfather, Simon, an immigrant from Romania who completed a printing apprenticeship in Germany before landing in New York. Simon built his career at Reliable Press in lower Manhattan, a multi-floor operation on Lafayette Street that was deeply connected to the cosmetics industry. Notably, this was during the pre-pressure sensitive era – when labeling was more of a mechanical process than a graphic art form. 

At Reliable Press, labels were packaged in metal canisters and fed through mechanical systems that affixed them to bottles. The company operated at scale, producing millions of pieces and even patenting innovations in label handling and application systems.

But the real turning point came after World War II, when pressure sensitive labeling began to reshape the industry. 

Seth Janco’s father, who returned home from World War II and took on a plant leadership role at Reliable Press, urged the company’s owners to invest in pressure sensitive capability. 

“He kept telling them, ‘We’ve got to look into pressure sensitive’,” Seth recalls. “Meanwhile they were buying labels from Avery and reselling. He saw the future – they didn’t.”

When they refused, he made a decision that would ultimately define the future of the family business: In 1967, Seth’s father left to start his own operation in Valley Stream, Long Island, New York, with the intention of building a pressure sensitive label company focused on the cosmetics and personal care markets.

The company would become Janco Press, and, over the years, would develop a reputation not as a commodity label producer, but a problem-solving partner. “We took on a role as problem solvers,” states Seth. “We can solve problems or turn ideas into reality.” 

Today, Janco Press is run by Seth and his son Remy, who serves as vice president. And that adept problem-solving philosophy carries through in the way Janco approaches everything – from high-decoration labels and extended content constructions to material and adhesive choices, application troubleshooting, and sustainability requirements that are increasingly shaping brand owner decisions.

In a region where square footage is expensive, labor is hard to find, and deadlines have a way of arriving “two weeks ago,” the Long Island converter is lean, nimble, and operates with an unmistakably high-end point of view. If a label is difficult, highly-decorative, or engineered around a real-world application challenge, that’s where the company wants to compete.

With the next generation taking on a larger presence inside the business, Janco Press is positioning itself to reinvest and continue evolving – while holding onto the relationship-driven approach that has kept it resilient for nearly six decades.

Quality as Strategy: Rotary Letterpress 

In the beginning, landing accounts wasn’t easy. The equipment investment was significant, and convincing established brands to move business to a new shop out of the city and on Long Island required persistence. But the foundation was set, and hard work paid off.

Unlike many narrow web converters that grew out of early flexographic operations, Janco carved out its reputation through rotary letterpress – a choice that would define its technical identity.

Rather than rely solely on flexo’s anilox-driven ink delivery, rotary letterpress offered fine-tuned ink train adjustments across the web. For cosmetic brands obsessed with color fidelity – think precise brand reds and tightly controlled palettes – that capability mattered.

“It was a very high-end process,” Seth explains. “You could make adjustments across the web – that was important in cosmetics.”

The shop built its reputation on decorative precision and problem-solving. From early on, Janco differentiated itself as an engineering-focused label manufacturer – reverse engineering ideas, working closely with brand owners, and finding ways to translate creative concepts into packaging reality.

In 1991, the company relocated from Valley Stream to its current facility in Bohemia. Growth was steady. The customer base remained rooted in personal care and beauty, but the work increasingly reflected higher levels of decoration and technical execution.

The philosophy – solve the difficult jobs first – would later influence the Janco’s approach to digital.

Digital, Done Deliberately

As digital printing began reshaping the label industry in the early 2000s, Janco paid attention – but didn’t rush.

The company’s cosmetics customers relied heavily on clear-on-clear labels with highly opaque whites, often achieved through silk screen processes. Early toner-based digital systems struggled in that area.

For Janco, digital wasn’t about following a trend. The technology first had to meet quality expectations.When Janco did make its first investment in digital, it was driven by the needs for efficiency, consistency, and the ability to handle shorter runs more competitively.

Digital printing opened doors beyond the traditional cosmetic and personal care customer base. It enabled entry into nutraceuticals, specialty foods, cannabis – end-use sectors that had emerging brands with lower-volume, faster-turn requirements.

“Every print method has its strengths,” Remy says. “But digital gave us efficiency and consistency – and it opened up new markets and opportunities.”

The shift to digital also aligned with broader workforce realities. As skilled press operators became harder to find industry-wide, newer equipment – whether digital or flexo – increasingly incorporated automation, job recall systems, and intuitive controls. That allowed Janco to maintain high standards without being overly dependent on any single operator’s craftsmanship.

“Technology has changed,” Seth says. “But the needs of customers really haven’t.”

What has changed is speed. 

Run lengths are shorter. Product launches are more frequent. Brands expect rapid prototyping and tight turnarounds. Janco has adapted by building systems and processes designed to move quickly while maintaining quality.

“We try to get things in and out in two weeks,” states Remy. “Sometimes faster.”

That level of service has become an expectation among long-standing customers and is testament to the trust the company has built over the years.

Meanwhile, sustainability expectations are rising, particularly among larger brands with formal environmental targets.

Janco Press is EcoVadis certified and works closely with suppliers to source facestocks and adhesives that align with their customers’ sustainability goals. While the converter acknowledges the inherent limitations of labels in recycling streams, it actively supports customers in meeting claims and compliance requirements where feasible.

At the same time, Janco is watching broader industry shifts, as software and workflow optimization increasingly represent areas
of innovation.

“It’ll be interesting to see where the next jump is,” Remy says of digital’s evolution. “A lot of growth is coming from the front-end software side.”

The company remains selective in its capital investments, focusing on technology that enhances both quality and efficiency.

A High-Decoration Operation

Janco operates as a highly focused, high-decoration shop.

The company runs Domino digital presses alongside Lombardi flexographic platforms, supported by finishing equipment that allows both inline and off-line workflows. Flatbed silk screen remains part of the arsenal – a unique capability in today’s predominantly rotary landscape – along with hot stamping, cold foil, embossing, tactile varnishes, holographic finishes, digital embellishments, and extended content
label constructions.

Extended content labels in particular represent a technical niche. Engineering booklet labels and multi-layer constructions requires structural precision and process control – areas where Janco’s problem-solving culture shines.

“Our focus remains on high decoration and more difficult applications,” Remy explains. “That’s where we’ve made a name for ourselves.”

The company also has begun expanding into select flexible packaging applications, particularly smaller, roll-to-roll formats such as sachets and stick packs. While still an emerging area for Janco, it reflects an openness to diversification without abandoning core strengths.

“We’re always looking at what’s next,” Remy says. “Especially as a high-decoration shop, understanding the newest technologies
is critical.”

Despite its myriad capabilities, Janco intentionally avoids chasing mass-volume commodity work. “We’re not going to compete with the largest converters doing millions and millions of labels,” Remy says. “That’s just not our business model.”

Instead, the company focuses on brands that value engineering support, decoration expertise, and personalized, consultative service.

Relationships First

With just 12 employees, Janco runs tight, and the closeness with which the company works with its customers extends internally, as well. 

The culture here is close-knit, family-oriented, and relationship-driven. Many customer relationships span decades – some dating back to Seth’s early career.

“We value our relationships,” Remy says. “Everything is in
the relationships.”

Janco Press works primarily with brand owners rather than brokers, preferring direct communication to avoid misinterpretation or diluted technical detail.

“If you go through too many mouths, the chance for a mistake increases,” Seth says.

Internally, Janco emphasizes open communication and shared accountability. Manufacturing is demanding, deadlines are constant, and stress is part of the business. But the expectation is clear: show up, support one another, and deliver.

Remy says, “We show up for our family, and we expect everyone to do the same.”

That mindset extends to customer success. Employees take pride in seeing finished labels on retail shelves, particularly in beauty retail environments like Sephora – tangible proof of the craftsmanship behind the scenes.

The Competitive DNA

Spend some time with the Jancos and, in addition to family, another theme keeps surfacing: competition. Not the kind that’s cutthroat or ego-driven, but the kind that’s deeply wired.

Remy played baseball at Duke University. His brother Cole competed in ski racing at Williams College. Seth coached ski racing. The family dynamic revolves around performance, improvement, and – as Remy puts it – “wanting to win.”

But winning, in their view, isn’t just landing an account.

“Sports teaches you something important,” Seth remarks. “You learn how to lose. You don’t like losing, but you pick yourself up and figure out how to get better.”

That mindset translates directly to how they operate Janco Press.

This is not a company chasing volume for volume’s sake. It’s a shop that takes pride in solving the jobs others struggle with – the complicated constructions, the heavy-white clear labels, the extended content pieces that require engineering as much as printing.

“Winning for us is winning for our customers,” Remy explains. “When we walk into a store and see something on the shelf that we helped bring to life – that matters.”

The sports parallel is subtle but telling. Baseball is a game of adjustments. Pitch to pitch, at-bat to at-bat. A .300 hitter fails 70% of the time and makes the Hall of Fame.

Printing – particularly high-decoration label work – operates under similar logic. Not every job is perfect on the first pass. Processes evolve, materials change, customers pivot, and adjustments are made.

Ski racing, meanwhile, is unforgiving. Precision matters. One miscalculation, one edge set incorrectly, and the run is over.

There’s an argument to be made that folding, gluing, embossing, and fine-detail cosmetic label work require that same mindset – competitive discipline, calculated risk, and continuous refinement.

It’s no coincidence that as the next generation steps more fully into the business, Janco is looking ahead – not just to maintain, but to expand.

Looking Ahead

As Janco approaches its 60th anniversary in 2027, the business stands at another generational transition point.The next generation has taken on a larger presence within the operation, bringing fresh perspective and competitive drive. Plans are in motion to reinvest in equipment and infrastructure to support continued growth.

“We always want to win,” Remy says with a smile, referencing the family’s deep roots in competitive sports. “But winning for us also means winning for our customers.”

From a Manhattan print shop serving cosmetic brands with glue-applied labels to a modern Long Island converter blending digital, flexo, and embellishment technologies, Janco Press continues to evolve.

While technology has changed, processes have accelerated, and markets have diversified, one thing remains consistent across four generations: Solve the hard problems first. If you can do the difficult work – the decorated, engineered, high-expectation jobs – the rest follows. And for Janco Press, that’s proven to be a winning philosophy.