Brown Printing

By Erik Cagle Senior Editor It is virtually impossible to ignore the impact Robert (Bob) Burton had on the printing industry in 2005. Given his relentless pursuit of two companies this past year, it was almost a given that Burton would enter 2006 at the helm of some printing business. But let's not get ahead of ourselves. In the final analysis, 2005 will be viewed as a year marked by triumph, tragedy and transactions, not to mention some unexpected twists and turns. Which fits us to a T. While the news wasn't always positive, a silver lining—a moral or a lesson could usually

By Erik Cagle Senior Editor Though he didn't realize it at the time, a path was being laid for Thomas Engdahl that would eventually lead to the dual roles of president and CEO of Brown Printing in Waseca, MN. Obviously, short of a crystal ball, there was no way for him to foresee such a future. But fate left an early calling card for Engdahl, a 2005 Printing Impressions/RIT Printing Industry Hall of Fame inductee, and he would later gain a friend who would show him the way to the top. "It was totally coincidental that I happened to get into the printing business,"

Every four years, the graphic arts world turns its attention to a mega trade show in Chicago, and 2005 will be no exception. Those faithful to ink and paper—numbers estimated at 70,000 strong—will make a pilgrimage to the McCormick Place complex to view nearly 800 company exhibits filling about 750,000 net square feet of exhibit space from September 9-15 at PRINT 05 & CONVERTING 05. Companies that supply equipment and services to the commercial printing, package printing, publishing and converting industries are gearing up for the industry's largest and most important event of 2005. Hundreds of exhibitors are planning new product introductions and live demonstrations.

Jim Meissner, founder and CEO of Color Ink in Sussex, WI, has reduced his duties to pursue his passion for fine art/oil painting. An exhibit of his work begins this month at Landmarks Gallery, located here. His work includes dramatic views of vistas in the Southwest, landscapes of Wisconsin, and paintings of places he has visited in Italy and Hawaii. Lisa Arsenault has been appointed president of The McArdle Printing Co., Upper Marlboro, MD, a subsidiary company of BNA Inc. Arsenault steps into the job from her previous role as vice president of sales. Under her leadership, McArdle's sales grew more than 25 percent in

WASECA, MN—Brown Printing has approved a three-year project that will see a 150,000-square-foot expansion added to its headquarters here, increasing plant capacity by about 15 percent. The project, which carries a $55 million price tag, is slated to begin next month. The project will include the replacement of two older presses with two modern, high-capacity web offset presses. Harry Popiel, Brown Printing's vice president of human resources, said that the company had yet to sign a purchase agreement but had narrowed the field to two manufacturers. Perfect binders will also be added to match the increase in printing capacity. Other planned acquisitions include an automated storage

BY MARK SMITH Technology Editor For better or for worse, and maybe a little of both, self-service has become the model of business efficiency in the modern world. Vending machines aside, the trend first took hold at the gas pump, then led to ATMs popping up like weeds and now is spreading to the grocery store checkout line. Online interfaces to customers are the printing industry's latest take on the self-service trend. The basic concept is not new, but the way printers are now executing it differs from the wave of eProduction/eCommerce ASP ventures that enveloped the graphic arts during the dotcom bubble.

The Research & Engineering Council of the National Association for Printing Leadership has named Scott Repa, pressroom operations manager at Brown Printing, East Greenville, PA, its third Pressroom Operations Manager of the Year. Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, CA, has appointed Kevin Cooper, former executive with RR Donnelley, as an assistant professor in the Graphic Communication Department. Cooper comes to Cal Poly with more than 20 years of executive-level experience in the graphic communication industry. His teaching assignments will include strategic management, human resources, supervision and web printing technologies. Also, Michael Cunningham, founder and former CEO and president of Cunningham Graphic International has joined Cal

(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

BY MARK SMITH Technology Editor It's only fitting that LIFE magazine should be a barometer for the vitality of the publication market. This de facto "canary in the coal mine" for the magazine publishing market recently had its third incarnation. What's significant about this latest go is that the magazine is now being distributed as a weekly newspaper insert, thereby avoiding subscription and mailing cost issues. Top 10 Publication Printers  CompanySegmentSales(millions)TotalSales(millions) 1*RR DonnelleyChicago$1,887$8,204 2Quebecor WorldMontreal$1,664$6,400 3Quad/GraphicsSussex, WI$740$2,000 4Brown PrintingWaseca, MN$320$400 5Cadmus CommunicationsRichmond, VA$302$445 6Banta Corp.Menasha, WI$184$1,418 6Perry Judd'sWaterloo, WI$184$297 8Publishers Printing/ Publishers Press,Shepherdsville, KY$160$160 9Vertis Inc.Baltimore$158$1,585 10The Sheridan GroupHunt Valley, MD$149$213 Sales figures are

By far, the biggest development in the publication and catalog printing sectors has been the dramatic upswing in capital investment. In some cases the same equipment is slated to serve both markets, while other machines are going into plants dedicated to one or the other application. The ranks of multiple web press purchasers includes the likes of Perry Judd's and Trend Offset Printing, but vying for the title of biggest spender are Quebecor World (22 presses) and Quad/Graphics ($200+ million for a range of equipment). Dave Boles, COO, North America, at Quebecor World, and Thomas Quadracci, president and CEO of Quad/Graphics, were kind enough to