by chris bauer Managing Editor Merger and acquisition activity. Monster trade shows. New faces in high places. The luck of the draw. It all adds up to just another year in the commercial printing industry. Let's take a look back at how the year 2004 played out, and who made headlines during the past 12 months. The year started out on shaky ground for the industry, with rumors that Heidelberg planned to sell off its web systems business and digital printing division, as well as reduce its worldwide work force by up to 1,000 employees. Eventually, the whispers became a reality as the other players in these
TanaSeybert
In my December 2003 column, I offered to send you readers "400 Sales Tips for Printing Sales Professionals." I concocted this offer at 3 a.m. on the morning of Attila the Editor's stupid deadline whilst I was stoned on a caffeine high. Coffee is about all I have left now that I'm on this stupid South Beach diet and working out with a personal trainer. So far, my 61-year-old biceps are up to 18˝, I'm begging my neighbors to let me redecorate their homes and I can bench press about twice my IQ. The 400 tips idea was a gratuitous, self-serving act. I
Tanagraphics, Seybert Merge NEW YORK CITY—Tanagraphics Inc. and Seybert Nicholas Printing Group have signed a definitive merger agreement to form what they claim to be the largest privately held company providing print management solutions in the Big Apple. The new company will be called TanaSeybert and will offer commercial and digital printing, advertising prepress services, bindery and mailing services. TanaSeybert will also offer a full range of integrated Web- and browser-based services. Harris DeWese, chairman of Compass Capital Partners, served as financial advisor for the transaction. Baldwin, technotrans Deal Nixed SHELTON, CT—Baldwin Technology has notified technotrans AG that it will no longer pursue the transaction announced in