Putting Print Challenges to Rest Since 1975.

In the 1950’s, Michael Trabon was working in the composing department at the Kansas City Star newspaper. He saved up $500 to purchase a Chandler and Price windmill press with the dream of starting his own printing company. 

Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, the printing company grew slowly as Michael worked at night in his basement, printing business cards and sales materials for local companies. 

In 1968, Michael passed away from a short battle with cancer, leaving the press in his basement to his 17 year old son, Tim. Tim Trabon was only a senior in high school, but he was determined to keep the business going to support himself and his mother. 

In 1974, the company was evicted from its basement operations. Complaints from neighbors regarding the endless noise from late nights of running the press eventually pushed the company to move to a single office of 2,000 square feet. Though the business was growing, it was barely big enough to house the equipment and paper storage required for daily operations.

The company grew steadily in the 1980s by gaining local commercial accounts one by one. The company expanded into the space next door, knocking down the wall to make more room for production. 

Headquartered less than a mile from the print shop, there was a new restaurant group in town with about 50 locations that was growing quickly. In desperate need of a print partner that could keep up with their pace, they turned to Trabon.

The 90s ushered in a period of significant growth. Driven by an acquisition of a neighboring printing company, Paris Printing, Trabon doubled in size and scale. By the mid 90’s the office park where Tim initially leased one office stall would be purchased by the printing company to continue operational expansion.  

Additionally, the restaurant client continued growth, adding hundreds of locations per year, eventually being known throughout the nation for Eatin’ Good in the Neighborhood. In order to manage the influx of menu requests from locations across the country, Trabon started to build a software that enabled an easier ordering process. 

On the eve of the new millennium, an acquisition of a software development company, doubling down on the direction of menu ordering software, would change the trajectory of the company well into the future. 

The 2000’s were defined by increased investment in software development for a homegrown set of softwares that would eventually be known as MenuNet and PrintNet. 

MenuNet supported menu file versioning for a single brand with over 1500 locations, enabling easier data capture from franchisees as well as seamless file versioning. 

PrintNet provided smaller organizations with a print on demand tool that resulted in faster reorders and inventory management for warehoused items.

Coming out of The Great Recession, traditional print media suffered significantly. The conversion from print to digital interrupted many traditional print products. 

With restaurants continuing to expand and franchise, a strategic direction was determined to provide MenuNet to any restaurant that required file versioning and menu management across a large portfolio of units, where printed products were still very much required. 

During this time, Trabon grew to working with over 50 national restaurant brands, supporting printed collateral and menu versioning. 

In 2018, Tim Trabon passed away due to cancer, leaving the business to continue with his management team and son, Tony Trabon. 

It wasn’t long into 2020 before businesses across the world idled due to the COVID pandemic. Trabon was one of the first businesses to pivot by domestically mass producing face shields. Supply chains were strained and face shied availability was nearly impossible to procure for doctors and nurses. Trabon formed USA Shields, supplying face shields to SEMA and hospitals across the nation. Over 350,000 face shields were produced and distributed during 2020. 

Additionally, Trabon’s digital capabilities provided digital QR code menus for some of the largest restaurant brands in the country. As preferences changed, Trabon guided over 10,000 restaurant locations throughout the transition from QR code menus, to disposable menus, back to traditional printed, synthetic or laminated menus.   

As the pandemic subsided, Trabon returned to providing print and menu management to multi-unit brands in both the restaurant and retail verticals.  

Trabon’s future is built on strategic partnerships with multi-unit brands ready to scale. After more than a decade of average client tenure, we understand the value of relationships that endure. 

Print continues to deliver impact, offering a tangible way to engage guests and amplify your brand message. Let’s grow together.