Meet the 2024 Women in Wide Format Winners: Sara Schaeffner

Sara Schaeffner
Owner
The Digital Frontier

SARA SCHAEFFNER DIDN’T dream of being a print service provider growing up. In fact, she started as a C-level executive specializing in P&L management, moving from manufacturing, healthcare IT, and the Minerals and Mining industries. Her leap into print has not been long, but she has acquired the ability to handle all points of operation when it is demanded. And that is what makes her a forced to be reckoned with in the industry. Here’s some of her thoughts.

What makes women leaders in the wide-format digital printing industry?

“I am a serial entrepreneur who jumped into the digital print industry with both feet,” she says. “Fairly new to the industry, I purchased my first digital print company, The Digital Frontier, in 2020. I quickly acclimated to the new environment, and helped my employees build a strong network and team through engagement and direct, honest communication.” It’s that dedication to teamwork, sharing her expertise, and commitment to excellence that has helped her gain inroads into being a major player in her area.


In 2022, she acquired her second digital print company, Photo Craft Imaging and Rosario Custom Framing, and combined the two shops together in Broomfield, CO. It’s all about taking risks and having the dedication to work hard to make them successful. While retaining all employees, she created redundancies of machinery and people, focusing on the strong attributes of each.

Here are some examples of her community and business involvement:

Sara’s list of extracurricular work is extensive. She has been a longtime supporter of many charities, including serving on the Board of Directors for The Rare Sisters Batten Foundation. She also is a member of the Colorado Women’s Chamber of Commerce; Boulder Chamber of Commerce; Women’s Leadership Foundation; Women’s Business Enterprise National Council; and is on the Corporate Board of Bound Alumnus Broomfield Chamber of Commerce. She has served on several non-profit boards.

Additionally, she is a member of the Denver Angels, whose purpose is to create an ecosystem where individual investors can invest in the fastest-growing companies in the state. Through those efforts, great Colorado companies can receive local capital. 

To expand the wide-format digital print industry, Sara has sponsored school tours including the Career Explorers through the Broomfield Chamber of Commerce. This effort encourages young people to consider careers in print. Her accolades include being awarded the Broomfield Area Chamber Business Excellence recognition, and the Mercury 100 Fastest-Growing Companies from 2021-2023.

How does your work push the industry forward?

“Through outreach with schools, and utilizing the Print Industries Print and Graphics Communications Career Guide and scholarship program, we have sponsored tours and mentorship programs to encourage students to consider print as a career,” she says.