Top 10 Articles of 2024

Since 2024 is coming to a close, we've pulled together the top 10 most viewed items of the year, as determined by you, our readers. Unsurprisingly, the annual Printing Impressions ranking tops the list, as it's the most highly anticipated item we produce.

Moving farther down the list, you'll notice CJK Group making headlines twice in February (No. 2 and No. 9), first with its Kodi Collective acquisition announcement and then as it shuttered its Sheridan book manufacturing facility in Madison, Wisconsin. You'll also notice that three of the items in the top 10 — Nos. 7 and 10 join No. 9 — were plant closures, with Quad and Bertelsmann, along with CJK Group, strategically shuttering facilities to focus on other growth areas. The rest of the list is rounded out with announcements from some of the biggest OEMs (Nos. 5 and 6); a massive HP Indigo installation at RR Donnelley; the ongoing USPS rate increases that have plagued the industry; and a proposed Carbon Black ban that was poised to devastate printing and packaging.

The list below offers a snapshot of some of the biggest headlines of the year.

1. 1. Printing Industry Trends Reflected in 2023 Printing Impressions 300 Ranking of Largest Printers — Unsurprisingly, the most viewed article of the year was a complementary piece to the Printing Impressions annual list of the largest printing companies in the U.S. and Canada, as ranked by annual sales. In January of each year, we release the full list to be downloaded, along with an accompanying article. Mark Michelson offers a look at some of the biggest trends and changes over the years. Keep an eye out for the 2024 list, coming early 2025.
   2. CJK Group Acquires Kodi Collective from LSC Communications — CJK Group has been in the news lately as it announced a landmark year of growth, partly due to its acquisition of Kodi Collective in February 2024. To dive into this news a bit more, Mark Michelson and Peter Schaefer (principal at New Direction Partners) chatted about the decision during the inaugural Leadership Summit. In November, CJK Group announced a strategic rebranding of Kodi Collective in which it brought Kodi’s three offset print facilities into the Sheridan family.
   3. RRD to Expand Capacity With Installation of More than 15 HP Indigo and PageWide Presses — Over the summer, HP and RR Donnelley (RRD) announced a strategic collaboration in which RRD made a commitment to install more than 15 new HP Indigo and PageWide Presses in North and Central America, and China. The expansion was intended to enhance productivity and flexibility in the packaging, commercial, direct mail, and statement segments.
   4. USPS Files Price Increase for July 2024 — One ongoing story over the past few years has been the regular postage increases from the USPS, which has had an impact on the mailing sector. Summer Gould notes in this article, however, that direct mail is still incredibly effective and the annual postal promotional discounts should be utilized to offset some of the costs. Looking ahead, although there isn't a planned increase for January 2025, the rates are expected to increase again in July of next year.
   5. Konica Minolta and FUJIFILM Business Innovation Announce Plans to Create Joint Venture —  In the spring, Mark Michelson reported on the joint venture announced between Konica Minolta and FUJIFILM Business Innovation Corp. The alliance, which pertained to the multifunction printer (MFP), office printer, and production printer segments, was originally set to be established as of September 2024, but has since been delayed. As Michelson reported at the time, the joint venture seems to be a win-win for both companies as it will " help protect their respective customer bases should there be another major supply chain disruption."
   6. Xerox to Halt iGen and Nuvera Digital Printing Press Production — Although Xerox is in the news this week for its $1.5 billion acquisition of Lexmark, it was in the news earlier this year for its decision to cease manufacturing of the iGen 5 and the Nuvera digital printing presses. The announcement marked the end of an "era" for Xerox because of the impact the iGen had on the digital printing market.
   7. Quad to Close Saratoga Springs, NY, Printing Plant and Bolingbrook, IL, Mail Processing Facility — Starting off 2024, Quad announced it would close its Saratoga Springs, New York, printing plant and Bolingbrook, Illinois, mail processing facility. Mark Michelson reported on the news noting, "The decline of certain print segments, such as printed newsweekly magazines, and the need for volume-driven, co-mailing programs to lower costs due to ongoing postal rate hikes, prompted Sussex, Wisconsin-based Quad to announce the closure of two production facilities during the first half of 2024, impacting 510 workers in total."
   8. New York State Assembly Considering Ban on Carbon Black, Most Common Pigment in Black Ink — One of the big stories we followed closely this year was the onslaught against Carbon Black. In February, we caught up with Gary Jones, VP of Environmental, Health, and Safety Affairs at PRINTING United Alliance, who explained the proposed Carbon Black ban in New York, which was part of its Extended Producer Responsibility requirements for printed packaging and labels. The impact would have been devastating had the proposed legislation been passed. Luckily, in June, we were able to report that the legislation had failed, due in part to efforts by the Alliance. For more information about the New York proposed ban, and the ban that was proposed in New Jersey, here is an episode of the Impressions Xchange podcast.
   9. CJK Group Closing Sheridan Madison (WI) Book Printing Plant, Impacting 116 Workers — In another Mark Michelson piece, he reported that CJK Group would close its Sheridan book manufacturing plant in Madison, Wisconsin. He noted that the company cited current conditions in the printing industry, such as "an overall decline in orders, in part to publishers overstocking during the pandemic along with the continued shift to digital publishing in the education market," as the reason for its closing.
   10. Bertelsmann Closes Once-Iconic Offset Paperback Manufacturers (OPM) Book Printing Plant — Finally, we have the closing of the "once-iconic" Offset Paperback Manufacturers book printing plant in Dallas, Pennsylvania, which was closed in May of this year by Bertelsmann. Mark Michelson reported on the shuttering of the facility, stating that output at the company had been nearly cut in half since 2017 and that the more than 100 workers that remained at the facility were notified of the closure in February 2024.