Hot Off The Press, a family-owned “green printing” business in Redmond, will host an open house from 1-4 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 20 at its new, larger location, 7126 180th Ave. NE, Suite C-104.

Visitors can learn about the company’s products, services and philosophies, receive complimentary copies of resumes and pick up free rolls of surplus paper that are useful for children’s art projects. There will also be a door prize, $50 worth of free printing, awarded at the close of the event.

Owner and managing director Andrew Koeppen runs Hot Off The Press with the help of his wife Cheryl, daughter Nicole and young sons Michael, Kristian (“Potato”) and Caleb. Home-based, small and medium-sized businesses are their focus, although they have larger corporate clients, too.

While many local printing companies have been hurt by the recession, “we are growing, which is unusual, about 30 percent each year,” said Koeppen.

He guessed that “part of it is the mix of machines we have and really caring for our customers. Our Green Print Design Initiative is training other companies to do this.”

The new Hot Off The Press location includes a conference room specifically for that purpose.

Not a longtime member of the printing industry, Koeppen came from the telecommunications and software testing fields. He said his management training has enabled him to better educate customers about green printing, which is more than just environmentally friendly — it saves them money, as well.

Some techniques of green print design include organizing of the printed material with overlapping bleeds to reduce waste during the finishing process; deliberate avoidance of full bleed (colors running off the edge of the paper); skillful use of shading to reduce cost; use of lighter weight paper when possible; use of colored paper instead of full bleed; and extending the margins of the document.

Customers are surprised to learn that they can get more copies of their postcard, flyer, brochure or other project at a significantly lower cost but with the same or more attractive appearance.

For one client’s new member kit, a $1,700 savings was realized by simply making a different paper choice.

“We’re helping customers succeed,” Koeppen stated. “We’re not putting down traditional printers, but they’ll print what you tell them to print. We show (customers) how to save money as one of our goals.”

He described himself as “a very frugal person — I can’t stand throwing things out,” and explained how Hot Off The Press has donated extra paper to local schools and churches at no charge.

“Green print design doesn’t affect our bottom line,” he pointed out.

Also, said Cheryl, “We are very hands-on. If we see something that doesn’t look right, we’ll call you and offer advice.”

She described how their proofreading of a school book saved a local school district — no, not Lake Washington — from a very expensive error.

The Hot Off The Press team also includes graphic designer George Guy and placement coordinator Brent Sindelar. Technical and business writers and other project managers can be contracted through them, as well.

To learn more about Hot Off The Press, attend next week’s open house, visit www.hototp.com or call (425) 869-8212.