Cadmus Communications Corporation

JUST WHEN you thought the landscape had stabilized following the 11th hour acquisition of Banta by RR Donnelley in October for $1.3 billion—thwarting a hostile takeover attempt by Cenveo kingpin Bob Burton to wrest control of Banta—a subsequent flurry of blockbuster M&A deals has sent shockwaves throughout the graphic arts industry. Who would have guessed that North America’s largest printer, RR Donnelley, would extend its reach even further by then swallowing up venerable entities Perry Judd’s for $176 million and Von Hoffmann for $412.5 million, both in all-cash transactions? Or that Cenveo’s Burton would remain undaunted about the big fish (Banta) that got away

STAMFORD, CT—It was almost too easy. After a trio of proxy and near-proxy battles over the past two years, Bob Burton found himself peacefully negotiating around the holiday season. The result for the chairman and CEO of Cenveo was a negotiated agreement to purchase Cadmus Communications, of Richmond, VA, for $24.75 per share, or $430 million. The transaction has been approved by the boards of directors for both companies and, pending approval of Cadmus’ shareholders, is expected to close in the first quarter. The deal effectively makes Cenveo the third-largest printer in North America, behind RR Donnelley and Quebecor World. “Cadmus’ operations are a perfect complement

Valassis, ADVO Settle, Merge LIVONIA, MI—After several months of acrimony, Valassis and ADVO have decided to patch their differences and merge. The sides have dropped their chancery court case and will move under one roof via a renegotiated $1.2 billion deal, at $33 per share for the outstanding common shares of ADVO stock. The deal is expected to close in the first quarter of 2007. Bowne Buys St Ives Financial NEW YORK—Bowne & Co. is acquiring St Ives Financial, the financial printing division of St Ives plc. Terms of the deal were not revealed. St Ives, which is keeping its annual report printing business, has financial printing

RICHMOND, VA—Cadmus Communications has been selected by business-to-business media firm 1105 Media to be its exclusive provider of publisher services.The four-year deal sees Cadmus provide publisher services for all of 1105 Media’s current magazine titles from Cadmus facilities here and in Easton, PA.Chatsworth, CA-based 1105 Media was formed in March 2006 through the acquisition of…

FACING INCREASED competition from electronic alternatives and another possible jump in postal rates, players in the catalog and publication markets may have to fight for a successful future. Industry consolidation should also make tracking these segments interesting for industry watchdogs. According to “A Study and Analysis of the Future of Catalogs, 2006-2011” by PRIMIR (Print Industries Market Information and Research Organization), the North American catalog industry is in a state of disruptive change. This can be attributed to the Internet becoming more of a vital selling tool for companies that traditionally used printed catalogs to drive sales. The shift to online shopping by

Printing Impressions 400

RICHMOND, VA—Cadmus Communications has signed a five-year contract with the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) to provide a full range of outsourced publishing production services for AAP’s leading publications, including services for AAP’s Pediatrics, a medical journal. Other full issue management services to be provided by Cadmus are copy editing, composition, XML coding, printing, binding…

Bobst Providing Bindery Direction ROSELAND, NJ—Intrigued by barbecues under the stars, a car show and rally—and yes, let’s not forget binding and finishing gear—roughly 450 people from 171 different plants made their way here for the Direction ’06 Open House sponsored by Bobst Group USA. The show, held September 21-26 at Bobst’s Demonstration and Training Center, showcased the company’s folding carton and commercial printing solutions for customers and prospects alike. A total of nine Bobst technologies were on display. On the commercial printing end, diecutters such as the SPanthera 106-LER, SPeria 106-E and the SPrintera 145-PER drew attention from visitors, along with the SPeria Foilmaster 102. Jerry

New Additions Increase Efficiency APPLETON, WI—JP Graphics is counting on Kodak’s Prinergy workflow and a new Kodak Lotem 800 II Quantum platesetter with a five cassette automated plate loader to keep up with growth and customer demands. The midsize printer has acquired three different printing firms since 1998, including its latest acquisition 18 months ago that doubled its workforce overnight from 25 to 50 employees. CHICAGO—Hi-Liter/Inland and MAN Roland executives meet at Graph Expo to raise their glasses to the printer’s new 4x4 32-page web press destined for its Burlington, WI, facility. Brian SanFillipo has filled the new position of director of digital operations at

MARKET PRICING in the B2B and special interest publications realm can be described in one word, according to Dan Rodriguez, general manager of Cadmus Specialty Publications. Predatory. If you want to play ball in this space, you’d better think Yankee Stadium. New York City is the eye of the publishing storm; conquer the Big Apple, and you’ve got it made. Were it only so easy. That predatory nature of the competition won’t allow printers to rest on the good will they’ve accrued. Laurel resting is not advised. Cadmus Specialty Publications, based in Easton, PA, has adapted to its environment. Its proximity (just 80