Printing Impressions Chronicles Memorable Moments as Part of 65th Anniversary Celebration

The year was 1958. America is mired in a recession, with more than 7% unemployment levels. Bobby Fischer wins the U.S. Chess Championship. Elvis joins the U.S. Army. NASA is formed, and America’s first satellite is launched from Cape Canaveral. And, in Philadelphia, a 34-year-old named Irvin J. Borowsky has the chutzpah to launch Printing Impressions in June of that year, joining a crowded field of more than a dozen established industry publications — some even dating back to the 1800s.

Here are just some printing industry-related highlights that occurred — since the 1980s to today — during my tenure as editor-in-chief. Like most any industry, it’s the people who bring it to life. So, it’s no surprise that our most memorable coverage focused on the industry movers and shakers of their era.

Bob Ott Sr., who led The Hennegan Co. until 2007, graced our August 1999 cover.

Top executives representing several prominent printing industry companies have graced our covers over the years. Many of these companies no longer exist, mainly due to industry consolidation and M&A activity. Remember industry beacons such as The Hennegan Co., The Beddor Cos., Moore Corp., Wallace Computer Systems, World Color, Banta Corp., Graphic Industries, Anderson Lithograph, Cadmus Communications, Perry Judd’s, Williamson Printing, Lehigh Press, Standard Register, Bowne & Co., and Perry Printing, just to name a few companies?

Several of these former printing industry powerhouses still exist in some form, but their respective brand names have now become footnotes in the passage of time. In some cases, they were acquired with the passing or retirement of an entrepreneurial ownership, but in other cases they were companies that got swallowed up during periods where the desire to build large conglomerates was all the business rage. The theory was that, based on economies of scale, large behemoths could streamline back office functions and buy market share due to their ability to purchase consumables and equipment at volume pricing discounts.

The only problem: The entities often become too unwieldy, debt-laden, hard to manage operationally, and difficult to integrate from cultural standpoints. They couldn’t compete with smaller, but also more nimble, competitors that placed higher value on production flexibility and more personal customer service.

To keep an accurate industry scorecard of the top performers, we will publish our 40th anniversary list of the largest printing companies in the U.S. and Canada — as ranked by annual sales — this December. While RR Donnelley (RRD) and Quad have remained at the top the past several years, the list of companies itself has shrunk during the past four decades we’ve been compiling it: from 500, to 400, to 350, and now, the Printing Impressions 300.

Our annual ranking of the top printers has shrunk from 500 to 300 companies during the past 40 years, largely due to industry consolidation.

Perhaps most remarkable about the most recent ranking — at least seven of the top 25 companies listed in our December 2022 issue are controlled by private equity (PE) firms. They include No. 1-ranked RRD, as well as LSC Communications, Lakeside Book, IWCO, Imagine, SG360°, and Fortis Solutions Group. And No. 35-ranked Japs-Olson Co., a longtime direct mail printer based in Minnesota, was sold to a private equity firm late last month.

We profiled RR Donnelley and its then-new CEO John R. Walter (standing, center) in May 1989 — the same year the company celebrated its 125th anniversary.

Although these financial buyers are investing in automation to boost productivity, and in higher-value-output technologies like inkjet printing, it’s unclear what impact private equity ownership structures will have on the printing industry over the course of the next several years. Nevertheless, PE investors do provide owners with the funding, as well as an exit ramp, in our highly capital-intensive industry.

Speaking of large conglomerates, Printing Impressions has been tracking and writing about RRD — the largest printing company in North America — for the past 65 years. Coincidentally, former RR Donnelley (RRD) Chairman Jack “John” Schwemm was an inductee into the inaugural class of the Printing Impressions Printing Industry Hall of Fame back in 1985. The Hall of Fame will celebrate its 38th anniversary induction class in next month’s issue.

Printing Impressions wrote a follow-up article on RRD when Bill Davis was CEO.

Back in May 1989, the traditionally publicity-shy RRD, led by then-newly promoted CEO John R. Walter, graced our May 1989 issue. Walter, who would also become a Hall of Fame inductee, made a lot of positive changes within the venerable, 125-year-old organization. He would later move on to become president and CEO of AT&T, only to resign from AT&T nine months later.

We also conducted a follow-up cover story on RRD in May 2003, just months before CEO William “Bill” Davis departed the company. And, although he never appeared on our cover, we’ve tracked the distinguished industry career of Thomas J. Quinlan III, who returned as CEO of now privately held RRD, followings its February 2022 acquisition by private equity firm Chatham Asset Management.

Thomas Quinlan

Ironically, Quinlan led RRD when it split into three separate, publicly held companies in 2016, and then became the CEO of LSC Communications following the split. LSC Communications would eventually file Chapter 11 and be acquired by Atlas Holdings in 2020 — the same private equity firm that waged a contentious bidding war with Chatham for control of RRD less than two years later.

The accomplishments of Harry V. “Larry” Quadracci built more than 50 years ago still serve as the ultimate printing industry entrepreneurial success story.

Fellow industry powerhouse Quad also has a chapter that could be devoted to its failed attempt in February 2019 to acquire LSC Communications. The $1.4 billion, all-stock transaction was called off by Quad in July of that year, following a lawsuit filing by the U.S. Department of Justice to block the deal based on antitrust grounds. Quad CEO Joel Quadracci ultimately called off the proposed coupling due to the added delay of closing the transaction, uncertainty of the outcome, and the cost of legal challenges.

Nevertheless, Quad’s roots epitomize a Quadracci family dynasty that began with humble beginnings. Joel’s father, Harry V. “Larry” Quadracci founded Quad/Graphics in 1971 after taking a $35,000 second mortgage on his home. A larger-than-life visionary, he built Quad into a billion-dollar enterprise known for technology adoption and development, advancements in web offset color quality control, Lean manufacturing principals, and for creating a “Quad” culture that included onsite childcare and healthcare centers at some of its larger facilities.

Joel Quadracci still leads what is now the largest publicly held commercial printing company in North America.

We inducted several members of the Quadracci clan into the Printing Industry Hall of Fame during the past four decades. Harry V. was a member of our second inductee class; followed by his father, Harry R., who helped build the company; his brother, Thomas, who led Quad following Harry V.’s sudden passing; and current chairman and CEO Joel.

We’ve also profiled organizations that ultimately couldn’t overcome tragedy, such as the unenviable position Melissa Previdi found herself in back in 1987 at Danbury Printing & Litho in Danbury, Connecticut. Her 44-year-old husband, Cecil Previdi, was among eight people killed (including five other Danbury managers) when a Beechcraft plane crashed in Wisconsin as they were on their way back from viewing some printing equipment in operation at another printing facility.

Melissa Previdi and her management team tried to overcome the loss of her husband and five other Danbury Printing & Litho managers.

Two years later, we profiled her efforts to continue the Previdi family legacy, which dated back to 1931. Ultimately her attempt to keep the company afloat was unsuccessful; Danbury was eventually sold to RRD, which then closed the facility in 2012.

Another industry-related tragedy occurred in 1987, this time at Standard Gravure in Louisville, Kentucky. An employee — out on disability leave from the company due to mental illness — stormed into the Standard plant armed with an AK-47 semiautomatic rifle. He went on a shooting spree that lasted 30 minutes, killing eight people and wounding another 12 before taking his own life.

“Courageous Comeback” was a fitting headline for our follow-up cover story on the mass shooting tragedy at Standard Gravure in September 1989.

The ownership and employee base at Standard Gravure still prevailed following the senseless tragedy. In our April 1990 issue the following year, Printing Impressions chronicled the recovery and healing process that took place at the company, which has now since been closed for several years.

And, of course, anyone who attended the PRINT ’01 trade show in Chicago on September 11, 2001, will never forget airplanes crashing into the World Trade Center. With the fear of future attacks, airports nationwide were shut down, stranding many PRINT ’01 show-goers who were stuck in Chicago.

Those who attended PRINT ’01 in Chicago on 9/11 remember that trade show for all of the wrong reasons.

With a captive audience seeking camaraderie during an unsettling time, the trade show held at McCormick Place continued on, with many exhibitors placing televisions within their booths so attendees could watch the continuing news coverage.

Eventually, rental cars in the Chicago area slowly started to become available, and stories spread of stranded vendors and printers who hired taxi or limo drivers, rented U-Haul trucks, and even purchased motor homes, just to get home safely.

Marianne Gaige (second from right) still leads Cathedral Corp.

Despite printing being a male-dominated industry, our publication has always tried to promote greater diversity and inclusion. This has included numerous cover stories over the years about the growing importance of women in printing — ranging from the corner office, to sales, to production operations, and every job title in between.

Rising “20 Under 40” industry stars have been showcased in the magazine several different times.

Articles have also appeared about young industry up-and-comers of both sexes. The graphic arts industry needs to continue to draw more people of all walks of life to its ranks. There remains a lack of skilled labor, ranging from equipment operators, to service technicians working for printing companies or equipment manufacturers, and much more. With the closure of trade schools and other training programs, coupled with a false public perception about the viability of our industry, the labor shortage remains a perplexing problem, with no simple answers.

But, just as our magazine has chronicled for the past 65 years, the printing industry will discover ways to adapt and evolve to ever-changing market, technological, and societal dynamics. Printing Impressions will remain a conduit for communicating effective problem-solving ideas and sharing best practices — while rejoicing our industry’s successes and adding perspective to our setbacks — tomorrow, and for many years ahead.