Quad/Graphics to Invest $20 Million in Its Retail Insert Platform

SUSSEX, WI—Nov. 08, 2010—Quad/Graphics Inc. announced it is investing $20 million to expand its insert printing capabilities. The investment, which includes adding four retail offset presses to its Lomira, WI, facility, will give clients additional quick-turn production and rapid delivery of highly versioned, smaller page count advertising formats inserted into newspapers.

“Advertising inserts continue to provide high marketing ROI by driving store traffic while also serving as an effective complement to online, mobile and other marketing efforts,” said Joel Quadracci, Chairman, President & CEO of Quad/Graphics. “Our investments in Lomira reinforce our commitment to help retailers use the power of print to succeed in a competitive marketplace. Now, with high-quality offset and gravure capabilities near every major retail market in the United States and Canada, our geographic presence and process footprint spans the continent.”

The presses being installed in Lomira consist of both new and existing presses, including two new 24-page presses with gapless blanket technology and digital inking for premium print quality at high speeds. Lomira has an established capability in gravure printing, and the addition of offset printing is strategically important to better serving the needs of national and regional customers for Midwest production and distribution. The equipment will start up in mid-2011.

Brian Freschi, president of Quad/Graphics’ Retail Inserts, Books, Directories and Canada operations, said the investment supports growing retail customer demand across North America for more versioning and faster production.

“Our expanding retail offset network is ideal for quick, cost-effective versioning in smaller page counts,” he said. "This gives our retail clients additional flexibility, better speed-to-market and improved distribution efficiencies.”

Freschi said the retail offset improvements are expected to help Quad/Graphics grow its business in the grocery, dollar store, sporting goods and related retail markets that helped pioneer the trend to more versioning and speed in retail insert advertising. He also noted Quad/Graphics’ recently announced investment in its Canadian retail insert printing platform underscores Quad's continuing commitment to leadership in the North American insert market.

In addition to its industry-leading print platform, Quad/Graphics offers unique, robust multichannel marketing solutions that help retailers extend a consistent brand message across multiple print communication channels, and then integrate those channels with other forms of media, such as the Internet, mobile technologies, digital editions and digital tablets. The printer’s comprehensive multichannel services range from marketing strategy, data analytics, creative concept and photography, to workflow tools for automating retail insert page production and creative digital and print outputs, including email, digital editions, retail inserts, direct mail, catalog and, with its recent acquisition of HGI Company, large-format signage and in-store / point-of-purchase (POP) displays.

About Quad/Graphics
Quad/Graphics is a global provider of print and related multichannel solutions for consumer magazines, special interest publications, catalogs, retail inserts and circulars, direct mail products, books and directories. Headquartered in the United States in Sussex, WI (just west of Milwaukee), the company has approximately 28,000 employees working from locations throughout the United States, Canada, Latin America and Europe. As a printing industry innovator, Quad/Graphics (www.QG.com) is redefining the power of print in today's multimedia world by helping its clients use print as the foundation of multichannel communications strategies to drive their top-line revenues.

Source: Company press release.