Publishers Press

BY MARK SMITH It has been the best of times and the worst of times for the publication industry, with all do apologies to Charles Dickens ("Tale of Two Cities"). Top 10 -- Publication Printers   Company SegmentSales(millions) TotalSales (millions) 1 Quebecor WorldMontreal $1,885 $6,500 2 R.R. Donnelley & SonsChicago $1,208 $5,254 3 Quad/GraphicsPewaukee, WI $684 $1,800 4 Cadmus CommunicationsRichmond, VA $416 $526 5 Brown PrintingWaseca, MN $304 $376 6 Perry Judd's Inc.Waterloo, WI $206 $343 7 Banta Corp.Menasha, WI $200 $1,538 8 Vertis Inc.Baltimore $199 $1,986 9 Publishers Printing/Publishers PressShepherdsville, KY $186 $186 10 IKON Office SolutionsMalvern, PA $135 $900 Sales figures

BY MARK SMITH This year's election proved to be an all too painful reminder that making predictions can be a very risky business. Dating back to the introduction of radio and then TV, a dire future has been predicted for magazine publishing time and time again. All the while, the number of titles and total page counts has continued to rise. So far, the same trend is shaping up for the warnings sounded about the impact of the Internet on printed publications. The Internet actually has had the opposite effect on the market, with Internet-related titles being one of the fastest-growing categories and Websites/companies

Editor's note: Company rankings for the current and previous years are based on figures reported in 2000. Therefore, companies that revised their 1999 revenues may have changed their '99 ranking as compared with the ranking that appeared in last year's Printing Impressions 500. Similarly, the percentage change in sales is calculated on the most recent information provided.2000 Ranking:Previous Year's Ranking:Company: Total Sales (millions):Previous Year's (millions):Change (%):Principal Officer:Employees:Primary Specialties:Web Offset Units:Sheetfed Offset Units:Other:Ownership:Plants:5142Publishers Printing/Publishers Press, Shepherdsville, KY$160.40$166.30-4Nicholas X. Simon1,750PUB 100%100100Private 2  2000 Ranking:Previous Year's Ranking:Company:Total Sales (millions):Previous Year's (millions):Change (%):Principal Officer:Employees:Primary Specialties:Web Offset Units:Sheetfed Offset Units:Other:Ownership:Plants:5252Phoenix Color Corp., Hagerstown, MD$160.00E$141.00+13Louis LaSorsa900BKS 100%61520Private 4  2000 Ranking:Previous Year's

BY HOWARD FENTON Anyone familiar with Publishers Press will not be surprised that it was the first company to express interest in, pursue and pioneer entrance into the GATF/Apple ColorSync Registry. The registry outlines tolerances for acceptable quality control specifications for the implementation of color management technology, as specified by the Graphic Arts Technical Foundation (GATF). Publishers Press is a family owned company originally created in 1866, now operating under the fifth generation of the Simon family. Printing giant Frank E. Simon ran the company from 1946 to 1990 and is responsible for redirecting the company to its niche of short-run publications. At

Chicago—Pressroom personnel and suppliers from across the United States, and as far away as Germany and Switzerland, gathered here recently at the 25th annual R&E Council Pressroom Conference to hear the latest news about technologies affecting the pressroom. Hosted by the Research & Engineering Council of the Graphic Arts Industry, this 25th in the series of annual meetings focused on improving productivity in the pressroom. Among the technical topics discussed at the meeting were soft proofing, closed-loop color control, and coating and curing. In addition, a significant portion of the meeting was devoted to personnel recruitment, retention and management issues, and to

Publication printers are rising to meet the demands of rapid technological change, competition from the Internet and the changing whims of publishers. Will 2000 carry a darker dawn for this segment? Yes and no. BY MARIE RANOIA ALONSO As 1998 came to a close, the outlook for the publications segment was bright, despite the consolidation of titles that impacted the market's major players. Overall, the minds of the publications market called for continued growth for the segment throughout 1999, with particular emphasis on the hearty performance of the special-interest title. In total, while the projection for the publications market going into 1999 was conservative,

Newspaper publishers/printers are uncovering new revenue sources by competing for commercial jobs to fill idle press time. BY ERIK CAGLE The old joke is that while a lawyer can hear a $5 bill falling on a pile of snow, a newspaper publisher can catch it before it hits the ground. Why the harsh treatment? It is a much-deserved depiction, for the life of a newspaper is a constant, daily struggle to make ends meet. For every paper brimming with a 40/60 advertising-to-editorial ratio or better, there are dozens of smaller dailies and weeklies that are fighting for their existence, eking out profits or absorbing losses. Ah, but

Though caution is key in what will most likely be a light ad market for certain portions of the publications segment, the powerful micro-publishing push and a moderate softening of paper prices should make 1999 one very vibrant year. BY MARIE RANOIA ALONSO Get out the sunglasses—the publications segment is glowing. Sure, the consolidation of titles and, in many cases, the shutdown of titles have impacted players in the publications printing market. But overall the continued strength of special-interest and trade titles, coupled with moderate paper pricing, is allowing the publications segment to virtually beam. Top 10 Publication Printers CompanySegmentSales(millions)Total Sales(millions)1R.R. Donnelley & SonsChicago$1,261.00$4,850.002Quebecor PrintingMontrea$1,009.20$3,480.003World