AUGUSTA -- Like father like son. Printing is in their blood.

Rick Tardiff, president of J.S. McCarthy Printers, has been in the printing industry from the time he was in high school. He has worked and owned printing companies since 1976.

Jonathan Tardiff, 26, vice president of the commercial printer, started at age 10 helping his dad out in the business. He's done it all, from sweeping the floor to stapling papers, running a small printer and driving a forklift.

The younger Tardiff graduated from Babson College where he earned a business and finance degree. While away, he continued to work for the company selling print work. Babson College is still one of the company's biggest clients.

"It's very rewarding seeing the interest he's taken and the energy he has," Rick Tardiff said. "I call it fire in the belly. Something I had when I was younger."

Jonathan Tardiff, a Cony High School graduate like his dad, said he takes care of the day-to-day production and his father is the visionary who deals with equipment purchases and business-related issues.

The last few years the father and son executive team have taken their love of printing to a higher level.

To stand out in a crowded marketplace, they are committing to more highly automated equipment and lean manufacturing practices. The company recycles 120 tons of paper and cardboard a month.

They also practice "green" initiatives like energy efficient lighting throughout the building, one energy saving compressor instead of three and running the operation on 100-percent wind power.

"Printers have been green for many years; we just haven't told anyone about it," Rick Tardiff said. "We've recycled our waste since we started. It's good for business. People look for printers that are environmentally responsible."

On Wednesday, workers were moving a piece of equipment out of the building that had been sold to a printer in New York. Six machines in the press room have been replaced with two newer models that outperform what the company had been doing when running all six presses.

Automation and environmental enhancement has given them a competitive edge over other companies in the industry, Rick Tardiff said. A new program they initiated over the summer is helping them be more competitive.

Jonathan Tardiff said the J.S.M. Competitive Edge Program is "all about being a low-cost producer of print work."

Employees are working to cut down on waste and be more efficient with their time setting up the jobs and running the presses.

Changes in the way the company operates while continuing to provide a quality product put them on the cover of "Printing Impressions," a publication for commercial printers.

"That was quite an honor," Rick Tardiff, 52, said. "We've been purchasing a lot of technology and new equipment and they took notice. We're also in a world wide publication featured at a trade show in Germany. We're heavily involved in the environmental side of the business, which is a big thing in the industry."

Last year, the company added a 36,000 square-foot finishing plant where print material including cards, fliers and college booklets are folded and glued. There were also stacks of absentee ballots ready to be shipped to the state in time for the presidential primary.

"This year because of the demand for absentee ballots, we had to turn them around quickly," he said.

Rick Tardiff said 50 percent of his business is outside Maine, much of it in New England and New York. He employs 128 people plus 15 temporary workers. The average wage is $17.50 an hour, which he says benefits the community.

He said they have invested $14 million in the company since 2000, $7 million in just the last year and a half. The company made $22 million in sales last year. Sales were up 12 percent in 2007.

"We'll continue to grow, we want to be on the leading edge of technology," Rick Tardiff said. "In order to be low-cost producer we have to invest in technology. Right now our plan is to remain in the state and grow."

Mechele Cooper -- 623-3811, Ext. 408

mcooper@centralmaine.com