Thomson-Shore

Commercial printer company and personnel news from Printing Impressions’ June 2012 edition.

Commercial printer company and personnel news from Printing Impressions’ September 2011 edition.

Binding and finishing news from Printing Impressions’ February 2011 edition, featuring items on Prestige Printing, Brown Printing, Freeport Press and Thomson-Shore.

The move establishes Michigan's only custom commercial case bindery business as a division of Thomson-Shore, which employs more than 200 people and expects growth this year even as the book industry changes. And now (Jon) Buller is there to help train a younger generations of binders.

Having an in-house binder that specializes in high quality work for low counts makes sense on a financial level for both companies. (Thomson-Shore President Kevin) Spall added that there is a “softer, more philosophical reason” for the sale as well.

“We can take a craft that is dying...and not just preserve it,

Through this acquisition of the specialty hand bindery in Ann Arbor, MI, Thomson-Shore will begin offering Books as Art capabilities integrated with its existing offset and digital printing and binding platform. Today, Bessenberg is the only commercial custom case bindery in Michigan and one of only a handful nationwide.

The runaway success of “Autobiography of Mark Twain, Vol. 1” was something of a surprise. Dexter, MI-based printer Thomson-Shore Inc.’s first bid on a job to produce the autobiography of the long-dead American literary icon was for 1,500 volumes. Then the University of California Press, publisher of the book, upped the number to 4,500...then to 7,500.

Now, Thomson-Shore has printed more than 250,000 Mark Twain books, said President Kevin Spall, and likely will produce about 500,000 before the multimillion-dollar contract runs its course.

A few weeks before Christmas, the book is on back-order at online and bricks-and-mortar stores

Heidelberg USA announces the following new product installations.

Prepress Upgrades Enhance Workflow DETROIT—First came the press, then came the upgrade to new prepress and platesetting technology. Crystal Clear Images runs a Heidelberg GTO press and wanted to update its workflow. Crystal and Anthony Mitchell, the husband and wife owners of the unionized shop, chose Heidelberg’s Prinect Printready prepress system and Suprasetter A52 platesetter. “When people heard that we were installing Heidelberg (prepress equipment), the amount of business influx was incredible,” reports Crystal Mitchell, who began her career as a school teacher in graphic design, before starting her own business from the basement of her house in 1995. The company, which has

The 2012 Printing Impressions 400 list of the largest printing companies in the United States and Canada as ranked by annual sales.

arizona PHOENIX—Steve Woods Printing opened its doors with a dedication celebration in May. Steve is the son of Frank Woods, formerly of Woods Lithographics. CALIFORNIA SAN MARCOS, CA—Golden State Graphics recently added to its bindery a Vijuk 321-T saddlestitcher. florida DeLEON SPRINGS—E.O. Painter Printing held its 100th annual stockholders and directors meeting recently. The company, which traces its origin to 1873, was purchased and incorporated by Sidney Weller Johnston, the current company president's grandfather. MIAMI—Color K Graphics purchased a KBA 74 Karat digital offset press with coater during Drupa. PENSACOLA—Six Stahl B30 buckle plate folders have been installed at Pensacola Christian College. georgia