American Color

THE YEAR was 1958. A 14-year-old named Bobby Fischer wins the U.S. Chess Championship. Willie O’Ree is the first African-American to play in the National Hockey League. The U.S. Air Force loses a hydrogen bomb off the coast of Savannah, GA, and it’s never found. Poet Ezra Pound is ordered to be released from an insane asylum, and “that book by Nabokov” (“Lolita”) is published in the United States. And, in Philadelphia, a 34-year-old man named Irvin Borowsky published the first issue of Printing Impressions. The industry, this magazine—indeed, our nation and world—have undergone dramatic transformations over the last 50 years. Our publication, just

BALTIMORE—M&A negotiations, like fishing, can sometimes take more patience than most people are willing to demonstrate. That wasn’t the case in the nearly year-long saga between Vertis Communications and American Color Graphics. It takes a little patience and knowledge in both M&A negotiations and the nuances of reorganizational laws to follow the deal Vertis finally hammered down with Brentwood, TN-based American Color Graphics. The companies announced merger and comprehensive restructuring plans that will strengthen their finances, expand their North American footprint and improve their respective product and service offerings. Both companies have struggled in the time since they originally signed a Letter of

HP Makes Deal for NUR PALO ALTO, CA—Hewlett-Packard Co. has agreed to buy Israel-based NUR Macroprinters, which produces wide-format digital ink-jet printers, for $117.5 million. The deal, pending regulatory approval, will expand HP’s graphic arts portfolio of digital presses and wide-format printers. HP also acquired MacDermid ColorSpan last year. Domtar Reduces Capacity MONTREAL—Domtar will close its Port Edwards, WI, mill and reorganize production at its Dryden, Ontario, facility. The Port Edwards move, which is expected to take place in the second quarter of this year, will cost 500 employees their jobs. At Dryden, one paper machine and two sheeters will be closed, impacting

BIG NAMES were on the move in 2007. It was a year in which major mergers and acquisitions jammed the headlines of our news pages. And some deals never quite got off the ground, while others are in a holding pattern. There was an explosion of headline grabbers to open 2007, led by a pair of major transactions and a political coup for the industry. Having been thwarted in his efforts to acquire Banta Corp. by RR Donnelley on Halloween 2006, Cenveo Chairman and CEO Bob Burton hammered out a deal to acquire Cadmus Communications for $24.75 a share, or a total of $430

Quebecor World Endures Loss MONTREAL—Embattled printing giant Quebecor World was socked with a loss of $21.1 million for the second quarter, or 20 cents a share. That is more than three times the $6.5 million (11 cents) net loss from the same period in 2006. Even so, Wes Lucas, Quebecor World president and CEO, reported that the North American operations produced significantly improved earnings, especially in the book and magazine divisions, where the firm’s retooling and restructuring program has been completed. Fire Strikes NJ Newspaper TRENTON, NJ—Contractors dismantling a printing press at The Times of Trenton accidentally ignited a fire, that newspaper reported. There were no injuries

NASHVILLE—American Color Graphics has been awarded a multiyear contract by the The Washington Post to provide the publisher with a Total Market Coverage (TMC) program. TMC production will take place at American Color’s Dayton, NJ, facility. American’s TMC facilities enable newspapers to offer their customers the ability to distribute advertising at the household level, primarily through the mail, at a fraction of the cost of solo mail. In other company news, American Color and Vertis Inc. have agreed to extend the signing of their definitive merger agreement until today. If a deal is not reached, the letter of intent will extend for a one-week period unless

BALTIMORE—Vertis Communications has signed a letter of intent to merge with American Color Graphics (ACG) of Brentwood, TN. ACG will become a wholly owned subsidiary of Vertis. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Mike DuBose, chairman and CEO of Vertis, will lead the combined company. Steve Dyott, ACG’s CEO, is expected to remain with the company to help with the transition and integration process. The acquisition of ACG is a significant one for Vertis. ACG, which specializes in premedia and printing for (among others) the retail, direct mail, catalog and publication sectors, posted revenues of $445 million in its latest fiscal year ending March 31

Digital Press Strengthens Partnership CEDAR FALLS, IA—The joint purchase of a Kodak NexPress 2100 plus digital color press and Kodak NexGlosser unit has enabled Woolverton Printing and American Color Imaging to reach new customers in the photo services market. Since the installation, John Lynch, owner of commercial printer Woolverton Printing, and Mark Lane, owner of American Color Imaging, a professional photo lab, report they have strengthened their partnership and grown their businesses. Press Added for Lenticular Work FRESNO, CA—Big3D.com Worldwide has ordered a six-color MAN Roland 500 press with in-line coating and an extended delivery. The privately held company is a leader in lenticular and three-dimensional printing

(Editor's Note: Company rankings for the current and previous years are based on figures reported in 2004. Therefore, companies that revised their 2003 revenues may have changed their 2003 ranking as compared with the ranking that appeared in last year's Printing Impressions 400. Similarly, the percentage change in sales is calculated on the most recent information provided.) 1 ('03: 2) RR Donnelley, Chicago, IL Total Sales (Millions): $8,204.50 Previous Year's Sales (Millions): $4,754.94 Change (%): +73 Principal Officer: Mark A. Angelson Employees: 44,000 Primary Specialties: SPEC 26%; CAT/PUB 23%; BF 10%; COM 9%; BKS 8% Web Offset Press Units: N/A Sheetfed Press

Xeikon, Chromapress User Groups Unite LAS VEGAS—Xeikon digital press users came together recently to hold the first annual meeting of the Xeikon Digital Printing Association (XDPA). Activities included the election of a board of directors for the new group, which was formed through the consolidation of the former Chromapress Printing Association (CPA) and the Xeikon Users Association (XUA). The primary reason for the merger was Xeikon N.V.'s acquisition of Agfa's Digital Printing Systems business unit. As a result, Xeikon America and Canopy LLC, Xeikon's North American distributor, took over responsibility for supporting Chromapress users. "XDPA brings together two groups that share common goals," notes