Debbie Dennison and the team at GeoJango Maps in Pleasanton, Calif., have one mission: to help people learn more about the world. As a former employee of SOCOM in Tampa, Fla., and Livermore National Lab in California, Dennison is well trained in the art – and science – of mapmaking. With master’s degrees in Geographical Information Systems (GIS) and Environmental Science, Dennison decided to take her passion for maps and share it with the world.
While still working full-time, she started producing maps on the side. “I discovered I really enjoyed making maps for the public,” she says. “Once that business took off, I had to decide if I was going to continue a career in sciences or start my own business.”
GeoJango was officially launched in 2017. Once Dennison and her team opened the office, they began researching printers, inks and materials. That’s when they discovered LexJet. “My partner is an engineer and a scientist, and he knows how to research and find the right product for the right job, no matter the industry,” she says. “He’s the one who found your website. He likes that all the documentation is right there. That’s one reason why we started using LexJet.”
Having valuable information at hand is not the only thing that’s important to Dennison. “The quality of a product is paramount. We need to be consistent with our products and make sure that materials are available and easy to get. As a growing company, it matters how people perceive and review our products,” she says.
Dennison refers to her maps as a “happy purchase.” “When people buy a map, they do it because they want to learn more about the world, or they have a bucket list,” she says. The US maps include national parks and historical places so adventurers can plan and track their trips. The world maps are perfect for children who want to learn about global locations, events and facts.
Providing so much information requires the perfect media matched with the right printer to ensure all the finite details can be clearly read and understood. “We’ve done a lot of testing with different inks, printing methods and materials, and we’ve found the right ones. The customers are thrilled with the results.”
What is unique about some of their maps is that they are “push pin,” which allow kids of all ages to trace where they’ve traveled across the country, around the world or even which sports stadiums they’ve visited. With these maps, there is no glass protecting the image and Dennison says the ink and paper are critical ensuring the integrity of the map, even without protection. After extensive testing, the team at GeoJango chose HP Everyday Instant-dry Satin Photo Paper as the media for all roll-up maps.
When she first started ordering from LexJet, Dennison realized that the company is based in Sarasota, Fla., her hometown. On a recent trip to visit family, Dennison decided to visit LexJet headquarters. “I was blown away,” she says. “Wesley [Britton, LexJet representative] gave me a nice tour of the facility and the showroom. While I was there, we looked at some new products that we are testing and hope to launch next month.”
One of the contributing factors to the growth of her company is the availability and quality of the products she uses. “We keep the media in storage and I’m not always aware of when we are running low. Occasionally, the situation gets critical, but the ordering process is easy and LexJet ships from many different places across the country, so I receive deliveries quickly. I am in charge of the quality all the way – from data research to presentation to printing to shipping. It’s important that I get consistent materials in a timely manner.”
If you are interested in learning about new products for your business, please call a LexJet sales specialist at 800-453-9538 or visit us at LexJet.com.
