Plantation - Graphic Designer AlphaGraphics Employee Review

1.0
Dec 29, 2011
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

You gain lots of hands on experience working at the small print shop.

Cons

They pay minimum (12/hr) but exploit you to the end. You will be thrown in the process and expect to pick up drops of knowledge (if other employees are willing to share when they are not busy) on the fly, apply and use them with no right on error. You cannot make a mistake, however the old heads screwing jobs as much as you do but they will blame you as a new hire on incompetence. A lot of backstabbing and crabs in a barrel types of situations going on. The volume of work sometimes gets high (20+ design projects, they allocate 30 mins on designing a business card, and 15 on converting a CMYK colors to Pantone in the artwork from a customer full of gradients). You are supposed to follow up with the printing process as well, you will load and unload stocks to printers, clean and maintain them, work in the bindery, with customers and much more. As a new hire who never worked at a print shop you are set for failure. The communication is terrible, you won't know you made a mistake and they wont try working it out with you, you just get fired without warning. When they are slow they tell you to not come, so you don't get paid. The benefits are laughable (they pay 20% of insurance premiums for you, so basically you pay your own with a 20% discount, they set IRA for you, only 3 sick days allowed per year, 1 day for official holidays and your birthday, and 5 days of paid vacation after 13 months of employment)

Explore other reviews about AlphaGraphics

5.0
Jun 4, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Learned a lot from a team that cared about my growth as an individual

Cons

Maybe a slight lack of direction or specific instructions

3.0
Jun 16, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Working as a Graphic Designer at AlphaGraphics was a positive experience overall. One of the biggest advantages was having direct access to the CEO and leadership team, which made communication straightforward and allowed ideas and solutions to move quickly. The environment is fast paced and driven by real production demands, giving designers exposure to a wide variety of projects and practical problem solving. While the pace is steady, deadlines were generally reasonable and achievable. As with most print shops, occasional last minute emergencies happen, but they are considered part of the industry rather than the exception. Overall, AlphaGraphics is a good fit for designers who enjoy a hands on environment, working closely with production, and being involved in both creative and operational aspects of the business.

Cons

The main challenge is the level of multitasking required. If you prefer focusing on a single project at a time, you may find the environment demanding. Some situations require the entire team to come together to solve production or operational issues, which means stepping away from the computer and assisting in other areas of the business for a few hours when needed. Flexibility and a team first mindset are important to succeed in this role.

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