EXIT INTERVIEW: Catching up with Printing Industry Longtime Editor Mark Michelson
It, simply, was time. That essentially was Mark Michelson’s response when I asked him why, at age 67, he decided to step away as the full-time editor-in-chief of Printing Impressions (PI), NAPCO Media’s flagship magazine brand—the job he has been doing since 1985. Having known him for the past 20 years, the full explanation comes as no surprise to me: Michelson didn’t just pack up his desk and walk out the door on September 30th (his last official work day). No, “I wanted to ensure a smooth transition,” he explains. Truth is, succession planning had been in the works since 2023, when he internally announced his timeline to retire.
Having been such a major part of his life for so many years, it stands to reason that Michelson genuinely cares about the NAPCO brand and, in turn, the printing industry. In his own words: “I nurtured PI like a child, and it became a part of me.” His presence at drupa last spring and, more recently, at the PRINTING United Expo was the culmination of a decade’s worth of mentoring on behalf of PI’s newly named Content Director Ashley Roberts, who Michelson himself hired nearly 10 years ago. “Ashley is a rising star,” he praises. “She’s a talented young lady who brings new ideas and energy.” In Düsseldorf and Las Vegas, the duo was seen together walking the show floors, popping in and out of booth after booth, making important introductions and bidding final adieus.
Mark Vruno, is editor-in-chief of The Cannata Report and a seasoned and accomplished B2B tech writer and editor who has contributed to more than 30 media outlets, including The Cannata Report, What They Think, Printing Impressions, Graphic Arts Monthly, Printing News, Editor & Publisher, the Harvard Business Review, Wide Format & Signage, and Digital Output. Prior to joining the Cannata Group full-time in 2025, he held senior-level editorial positions at Cygnus Business Media, SouthComm Publishing and Reed Business Information. Vruno has conducted international video interviews on behalf of INKISH and has written blogs for the print, mail and document-management industries as well as hosted webinars, moderated live panels, and judged printing competitions such as Xerox’s “Best of the Best” awards.
