Kristen E. Monte

Business happens pretty quickly in the printing trade, and the same can be said for the shipping industry. Merge the two together, and you can expect the pace to get ratcheted up a level or two. Take the humble beginnings of FedEx Kinko’s Office and Print Services. Paul Orfalea, founder of Kinko’s, put a couple of copiers in a taco stand on the campus of the University of California-Santa Barbara in 1970 and sold a minority stake (tacos not included) for $200 million in 1996. Today, the printing and shipping hybrid does just north of $2 billion in annual revenues with a staggering 1,600

FROM NEWSPAPER publisher to newspaper printer, Bartash Printing has been around the block. And, considering its location—Philadelphia—that block is pretty historic. Philadelphia is the home of America’s first and foremost printer: Ben Franklin. And, like Franklin, who started out with very little, local printer Joe Bartash started out small before hitting it big. Bartash Printing, one of the largest cold web printing companies in the Philadelphia region, was started 55 years ago by Bartash to print his weekly newspaper, the Southwest Globe Times. In 1962, Joe’s son-in-law, Sidney Simon, joined the company. During the next 45 years, Simon and his son, Michael, built the

ONESOURCE PRINTING & Graphics has built its business on offering customers a one-stop shopping experience, while advancing into the digital age at warp speed. Although difficult to implement, moving away from the concept of being a traditional printer is no longer a novel concept. Still, OneSource has succeeded in becoming one of the premier graphic arts providers in the New York metropolitan area since being founded in 1998. Headquartered in midtown Manhattan, the company is the brainchild of Andrew Eisberg and Michael Behar. Both owners are printing sales veterans. Eisberg manages the sales and the overall corporate direction side of the business, while

WITH ALL of the changes going on in the printing industry, it’s an excellent time to be selling print. At least according to Tim Keran, president and owner of Western Graphics. With everything up for grabs, someone is going to have to catch it—and this St. Paul, MN-based company has a big bucket. In 1967, a local state legislator opened Western Printing and Mailing, a small print shop aimed at handling his political printing, such as letters and flyers. After he lost the election, he sold the shop to Paul Brazman, who then sold it to Robert Keran and James Muellner in 1977. Prior

LOOK AROUND your desk and you can see them everywhere. In your drawer, in your pencil holder, adorning your calendar. Promotional products and advertising specialties have become such a large part of our lives, we barely notice them. You go to the bank and get a pen with its name on it, or maybe it’s a free tote from the library or a stress ball from your doctor’s favorite pharmaceutical company.

A FAMILY owned printing company is not unusual. But one that was started by three 20-something brothers, which has endured 30 years of growth and that’s debt-free, is surely note-worthy. Today, Shapco Printing is one of the largest sheetfed commercial printers in Minnesota. Located in downtown Minneapolis, this full-service company offers computer-to-plate, offset and digital printing, binding, kitting, and mailing and fulfillment services. Shapco has up to eight-color, 40˝ printing capabilities on paper (up to 40-pt. board) and plastic substrates. Joel Shapiro, 51, along with his co-owner brothers Robert, 50, and Alan, 56, have built a competitive edge based on their high-end printing capabilities combined with

This year’s recipient of the Web Offset Association’s Harry V. Quadracci VISION Award might seem like an obvious choice, due to some family connections. Yet, it’s been hard work, determination and technological innovation that propelled Thomas A. Quadracci to the top of America’s largest privately held printer, not his last name. Quadracci will be presented with the eighth annual VISION Award on May 22 during the WOA conference. The honor was named after Quad/Graphics’ late founder and Thomas’ older brother, Harry Quadracci, who was the inaugural recipient in 1999. The timing of the award also couldn’t be better. Currently, chairman and CEO of Quad/Graphics, Tom

WORLD AND industry viewpoints alike are set to come together at the upcoming 2006 Web Offset Association (WOA) Management and Technical Conference. But what sets this meeting apart in our conference-heavy industry? According to the WOA’s executive director, the combination of heavy-hitter speakers and relevant industry information will keep those attending the event wanting more. “We want attendees to be able to customize the experience for their individual needs,” reports Mary Garnett, PIA/GATF vice president and WOA executive director. Titled “Decision Points 2006,” the 54th annual conference will take place at the Gaylord Palms Resort in Orlando, FL, on May 21-24. Designed for executives

PASSION IS a powerful emotion—and a positive method—when a bit of reason is incorporated. A great company isn’t successful based solely on its business practices. Its success comes from the spirit of its workers. At Payne Printery, its employees exude passion. Payne Printery began as a one-man, single-color print shop, and was purchased in the 1930s by John Robert Moore. Moore decided not to change the company’s name because it had a good business reputation. After the purchase, Moore moved the shop a short distance from Plymouth to Dallas, PA, where it continued to produce one-color materials such as raffle tickets, business cards and letterhead.