From local print shop to book printer for the world.
In 1981, Bill Ashby opened A&A Printing in Tampa, Florida. From the start, the focus was books and booklets — and the business grew the honest way, through direct sales calls to local businesses across the tri-county area. Quick turnaround and an obsession with quality were the reputation, and they still are.
Everything changed with the internet. A&A launched its first website in 2000, and suddenly a local Tampa printer was reaching publishing companies and self-publishing authors across Florida, across the country, and beyond. When Bill Jr. — Billy — joined full-time in 2002, he rebuilt the web and online publishing side from the ground up, turning it into the fastest-growing part of the business.
Billy had been around the shop his whole life. He was five when his dad started the company, and he grew up running the equipment, driving the delivery truck, and learning the trade from the floor up. Today, publishing is his passion — he's guest-spoken at book groups and conferences and hosted seminars on self-publishing.
That distinction matters. We give authors nearly every tool they need to succeed with their book — great pricing, personal service, remarkably fast turnaround — without ever taking control of their work or their rights. Today A&A is a blend of loyal local house accounts we've served for decades and thousands of online publishing customers around the world. And with Billy's young sons, Miles and Chase, growing up around the shop just like he did, the third generation may already be on its way.
