Today we’d like to introduce you to Jay Cooper.
Hi Jay, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
Printmonition’s story began in 2012 while I was living in Las Vegas. Interestingly enough, I didn’t set out to start a printing company. At the time, I had my own clothing line and was paying other companies to produce my apparel.
Two of those companies, 3 Nuts and Nu World, saw how serious I was about what I was building. Whenever I was around them, I was constantly asking questions. I wanted to understand the different fabrics, inks, printing methods and why certain techniques worked better than others. Instead of keeping that knowledge to themselves, they took me in and began teaching me the business. In many ways, that became my first real education in printing. Nu World taught me the craft, while 3 Nuts went as far as sponsoring me so I could establish my first vendor account.
What started with apparel eventually led me into an entirely different side of the industry.
I met a gentleman named Mike who I was using for banners and other large-format printing. Just like the people who helped me before him, Mike recognized my drive and curiosity. He began showing me how banners were produced, how to sell them and how the large-format side of the printing business worked. He eventually connected me with his vendor, and that relationship opened my eyes to an entirely new world! Banners, signage, vehicle-wrap vinyl and large-format graphics.
Then I met Tiffany, who owned a vehicle wrap shop. She took me under her wing and helped me develop and sharpen my skills even further, particularly in vehicle wraps.
Looking back, Printmonition wasn’t created from one big moment. It was built one relationship, one question and one opportunity at a time. I was fortunate to meet people who saw something in me and were willing to share their knowledge instead of guarding it. But I also had to be willing to listen, learn, practice and put that knowledge to work.
I never looked back.
What began in Las Vegas with a clothing line and a desire to understand how my own shirts were being printed eventually grew into what is now Printmonition Creative Group.
Today, we provide everything from commercial vehicle wraps, signage and large-format printing to custom event experiences. And even as the company continues to grow and enter new markets, I still carry the same curiosity I had in 2012. Keep asking questions, keep learning and keep building.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
One of my earliest challenges actually happened before I ever got into printing.
When I had my clothing line, I worked with a freelance graphic designer who created the artwork for my apparel. We had worked together for about a year when one day, he simply disappeared. I couldn’t reach him and couldn’t find him. At that point, I had a choice: I could allow losing my designer to slow down what I was building, or I could figure out how to do it myself.
What I didn’t realize at the time was that I had already started teaching myself.
Whenever I sat with him while he designed my artwork, I paid attention. I watched how he navigated through different screens, the tools he selected, the keys he pressed and how he transformed an idea into a finished design. I even remembered the program he used, Adobe Illustrator.
So when he disappeared, I downloaded Illustrator and started learning.
YouTube became my university. I watched tutorials, read design forums and searched for answers anytime I couldn’t figure out how to create a particular effect. There was a lot of trial and error, but I kept at it until eventually I became pretty good.
Then something unexpected happened: people started paying me to design for them.
What started out as me simply trying to keep my own clothing line moving turned into people hiring me to create logos, flyers, banners, signage and other graphics. Those design skills would eventually become part of the foundation for Printmonition.
That experience taught me something that has followed me throughout my entrepreneurial journey: sometimes an obstacle is really an invitation to develop a skill you didn’t know you needed.
The person I depended on disappearing could have stopped me. Instead, his disappearance forced me to help myself. And learning to help myself opened a door that ultimately changed the direction of my life and business.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Today, my work has grown far beyond where it started in 2012. What began with apparel and graphic design has evolved into Printmonition Creative Group, a creative company built around taking an idea and turning it into something people can actually see, touch and experience.
The company operates through two primary sides: Printmonition Media & Wraps and Printmonition Events & Experiences.
Through Media & Wraps, we specialize heavily in commercial vehicle wraps and fleet graphics, along with vehicle graphics, signage, window graphics, banners, decals and other large-format printing. Commercial wraps have become an area I’m especially passionate about because I get to help another entrepreneur transform an ordinary work vehicle into a moving billboard for their business. There’s something rewarding about watching a client see their brand come to life at that scale.
Events & Experiences allows us to take that same creativity into a completely different environment. We provide custom dance floor wraps, magazine and photo booth experiences, life-size displays and props, backdrops, staging, tent rentals and other custom event elements. Whether it’s a wedding, birthday celebration, corporate event or another special occasion, the objective is bigger than simply providing a product. We want to help create the experience people remember.
One of the things I love most about my work is that no two projects are exactly alike. Someone can come to me with nothing more than an idea in their head, and I get to figure out how to turn that idea into something real. Sometimes that requires graphic design. Sometimes it requires printing, fabrication or installation. And sometimes it requires combining all of them.
That’s also why the company eventually became Printmonition Creative Group. I realized I didn’t want the brand defined by one machine, one product or even one industry. The common denominator has always been creativity and problem-solving.
Today, we serve clients throughout Pennsylvania, Maryland, DC, Virginia and surrounding markets, and we’re now expanding our presence into Oklahoma City, where Printmonition has established a location to operate and provide vehicle-wrap and related services when I’m in the market. That expansion represents something special to me because the business that started while I was living in Las Vegas is now growing beyond one geographic area.
But regardless of how much Printmonition grows, my favorite part is still the transformation, the moment when something that existed only as a conversation, sketch or idea becomes real.
We don’t just print things. We help people bring their vision to life.
Do you have any advice for those looking to network or find a mentor?
I’ve been fortunate because I can’t say I had just one mentor. I had different people enter my life at different stages, and each one taught me something I needed for the next stage of my journey.
Early on, the people at Nu World and 3 Nuts taught me about apparel printing. Mike introduced me to large-format printing, banners and signage. Later, Tiffany helped me sharpen my skills in vehicle wraps. None of these relationships started with me formally asking, “Will you be my mentor?” They developed organically.
I think one reason those relationships happened is because people could see that I genuinely wanted to learn. I wasn’t just asking someone to give me the answers or do the work for me. I was watching, asking questions, practicing and then applying what they showed me. That changed my perspective on mentorship.
I don’t believe finding a mentor is always about searching for the most successful person in your industry and asking them to mentor you. Sometimes mentorship begins simply by putting yourself around people who know something you don’t, being humble enough to ask questions and showing them through your actions that their time and knowledge won’t be wasted.
I also learned that mentorship doesn’t have to come from one person. Different people can carry different pieces of the blueprint. One person may teach you the craft. Someone else may teach you business. Another person may introduce you to an opportunity or relationship that changes your entire direction.
I’m grateful for every person who took the time to teach me, because a lot of what Printmonition has become can be traced back to someone who was willing to open a door and show me something new.
And now that I’m further along in my own journey, I understand the responsibility that comes with that. Someone took the time to pour knowledge into me, so when I have an opportunity to do the same for someone else who genuinely wants to learn, I believe in paying that forward.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.printmonition.com
- Instagram: printmonition_pcg
- Facebook: Printmonition Creative Group
