UPFRONT

Cenveo Acquires Nashua

STAMFORD, CT—Cenveo Inc. has inked a definitive merger agreement to acquire Nashua Corp. in a cash and stock deal valued at roughly $44 million. Nashua, ?a labels and specialty paper producer, posted sales of $265 million in 2008. The deal allows Cenveo to strengthen its position in the pharmaceutical and shelf-label market, and will expand upon Nashua's position in the point-of-sale and wide-format printing markets.

EPI Companies Closes Doors

MARIETTA, GA—The EPI Companies, which ranked 112th on the 2008 Printing Impressions 400 list with sales of $51 million, has gone out of business. The company notified customers and other interested parties in a letter dated April 15. EPI Companies was featured on the cover of Printing Impressions in May 2007. The firm was listed as having 120 employees.

New Home for Large Finisher

CAROL STREAM, IL—Booklet Binding and Team Services announced the opening of its new production center here. The facility unites the operations of its two prior locations—Booklet Binding's Broadview, IL, bindery and finishing operation, and Team Services' Itasca, IL, direct mail production, mailing and expanded packaging operations—into a single plant. The 366,000-square-foot production facility required a capital investment of $21 million.

Quad Cuts 140 Employees

SUSSEX, WI—A decline in orders and the dismal economy have forced Quad/Graphics' hand again, prompting the nation's largest privately held printer to lay off 140 employees, according to BizTimes Milwaukee. Most of the cuts were made in Wisconsin, with prepress and its QuadTech operations absorbing the reductions. The company laid off roughly 550 people earlier this year.

VistaPrint Forges Partnership

HAMILTON, BERMUDA—Business-to-consumer online printing specialist VistaPrint and FedEx Office have developed a new application for designing, ordering and printing business stationery and marketing materials. Customers are now able to design and order their customized products online at fedexoffice.com or in-person at any of the 1,600 FedEx Office Print & Ship Centers in the United States. The products can be shipped to any location FedEx serves or picked up at any FedEx Office Print & Ship Center.

Quebecor World Inks Deal

MONTREAL—Quebecor World signed a multi-year agreement to print Arthur Frommer's Budget Travel, a growing monthly magazine with a print run exceeding 750,000 copies published by Newsweek Budget Travel. The pact also allows for the printing of two annual "Girlfriend Getaways" special issues. The Budget Travel volume is new business to Quebecor World, which has printed the West Coast editions of Newsweek's flagship title for 15 years.

Rider/SCS Buy Sleepeck Assets

CHICAGO—Equity partners Rider Dickerson and Service Communications + Solutions (SCS) announced the asset purchase of large-format printer Sleepeck Printing. The companies also hired several key Sleepeck employees. Rider and SCS will benefit from the addition of Sleepeck's large-format and UV sheetfed printing capabilities, and will be able to expand their presence in the point-of-purchase (POP) marketplace, according to Rider President Bill Barta.

Toppan Employee Arrested

SOMERSET, NJ—David Hathaway, the head of the accounting division for Toppan Printing here, has been arrested and charged with stealing more than $100,000 from the printer by funneling it to a fake company that he created, according to The Star-Ledger. He was charged with theft by deception for writing checks totaling $118,178.38 to ANZ Services/A2Z Services, the newspaper reported. Hathaway allegedly billed Toppan's customers to mask the thefts.

Transcontinental Gets Loan

MONTREAL—Transcontinental has arranged a five-year loan for $100 million from the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec. These new credit facilities are said to give Transcontinental the flexibility to pursue its development projects in its print, media and marketing communications sectors in North America.

American Bolsters Arsenal

MADISON, WI—American Printing has acquired The Printing Partners, expanding its offerings into areas such as variable data digital printing and short-run color work. Terms of the deal were not revealed. The entire staff of The Printing Partners will be brought into the fold. American Printing offers a full range of sheetfed printing, distribution and mailing services.

Goss Reduces U.S. Head Count

BOLINGBROOK, IL—Goss International has reduced its U.S. workforce by 170, with the cuts taking place in New Hampshire, Texas and Illinois. The company was also considering other options including short-term furloughs during the summer for U.S. employees. The measures are in response to economic conditions, particularly a decline in advertising expenditures, which have impacted the demand for new web printing and print finishing equipment.