2025 Innovator of the Year: Linemark Transforms Complexity Into Efficiency

Editor's Note: Innovation takes many forms. Whether by leveraging new technology, building smart investment plans, initiating strategic acquisitions, placing a focus on workforce practices, or refining processes, industry leaders set themselves apart as true innovators.

Each year, we ask printing industry experts and consultants to nominate the print service providers they believe embody the term “innovation.” Our five Printing Impressions' 2025 Innovators of the Year are recognized for pushing boundaries and shaping the future of the field. It’s our hope that their approaches and philosophies may spark ideas to help other businesses reach new heights.

The summary of Linemark that follows shares what makes this company innovative, interesting, and exceptional.

The most innovative printing companies are typically defined by their advanced technology; seamless automation; or a thriving culture both within the organization and with its clients and vendor partners. At Linemark — a PRINTING United Alliance member company based in Upper Marlboro, Maryland, and 2025 Printing Impressions Innovator of the Year — these characteristics aren’t just goals to strive for – they are fully baked into the culture of the company, and have been for years.

“Culturally, our mindset is there is a solution for every challenge, and we should always be looking for ways to improve our process to better support our clients,” Mike Marcian, president of Linemark and past chairman of the Alliance, says. “The ongoing investment in state-of-the-art digital imaging and finishing equipment is critical to manufacture the high-quality products our clients expect.”

For Marcian, the decision to join Linemark in the past year wasn’t just strategic, it was personal. “When I walked through and saw what they have invested in, and the culture that they’ve built here, it was an easy decision because I knew it would be really fun.”

Having been a third-generation printer himself and selling his own employee-owned business, he brings both a unique perspective and an appreciation for what the company has built. He notes, “Our industry is so innovative, and I’m just grateful to add what I’ve learned over the years alongside the Linemark leadership, which has decades of successful and consistent growth and investment.”

Scaling Complexity With Ease

As a commercial printer that handles a multitude of short-run, highly fragmented jobs, efficiency is key to streamlined production. “Every corner of the building is really driven by automation,” Marcian says. “I can track real time how many pages we’re printing, how many packages we’ve shipped. I can compare our volume this week to the same week last year. And it’s really just ingrained in the DNA.”

Many of the products Linemark produces include hundreds of variations of books — soft-bound, hard-bound, personalized, or versioned — every single day. To maintain this level of production, Marcian notes that it functions similarly to air traffic control, knowing exactly which books are “landing” and “taking off.” This job routing happens through a complex system of barcodes that can be tracked throughout the facility.

“We have an automation-first mindset and it’s critical to process as many orders per day as the demand calls for, to include over 200 different product variations,” he notes. “We do not limit our clients to size, paper, finishing, and packaging options, which wouldn’t be possible without complex automation as the backbone of the organization.”

As clients are constantly creating new products, Linemark’s mission is to build a production plan that fits their business case. And the driving force behind this seamless system is the company’s commitment to being an exceptional and easy-to-work-with partner.

Having nominated Linemark as a Printing Impressions Innovator of the Year, Marco Boer, vice president at IT Strategies, can attest to the company’s forward-thinking methods. “Linemark is a commercial printer that views itself as a digital print shop that happens to own offset presses,” he says. “They’ve made the investment to be able to handle lots of short-run, highly fragmented jobs, which makes it difficult for traditional commercial printers to compete as they are so efficient at handling a very high-volume of little jobs that are aggregated from partners with a strong presence in what you might call self-publishing. Because of their investments, they’ve become what IT Strategies calls one of the ‘Haves’ in the commercial printing business.

And, while Linemark’s North Star is its focus on providing clients with printed products of unparalleled quality, it wouldn’t happen without the company’s internal culture. Marcian notes, “We invest in our people across the entire enterprise, to include systematic training to maintain excellence within client SLAs (service level agreements).” This looks like diligent training where one press operator can step away and another can fill the gap, allowing for uninterrupted workflow.

Turning Challenges Into Opportunities

Of course, Linemark is no stranger to the industry’s challenges — with the labor crisis topping the list. To address this concern, Marcian says, “I believe that because we’ve invested in so much digital equipment — both printing and finishing — it naturally allows us an easier way to attract the next generation of talent.”

He explains that younger generations are no longer being asked to run a traditional perfect binder or set up a traditional folder, or even run a sheetfed press. Instead, they are utilizing screens — a skill already possessed by many. He adds, “Almost everything here is a screen. And we know if it’s got a screen and it’s digital, it’s a little more appealing to learn. It’s a technology they’re learning.”

However, the solution to overcoming the industry’s myriad challenges doesn’t come down to one piece of equipment or the perfect system, but rather a consistent, proactive approach to anticipating them before they arrive. With challenges like shifting economic factors, supply chain data, and postal rates and regulations, it’s essential to maintain strong relationships with industry partners.

“We are supported by a wide range of industry partners,” Marcian notes. “In many cases, they are asking us for feedback on trends so they can build that feedback into their technology roadmap.”

It stands to reason that when the company is good to its employees, its customers, and its vendors, everyone is better for it in the end.

A Vision for What’s Next

When asked about the company’s plans for future investments, Marcian says, “What we do is very labor intensive. [We’re] continuing to explore and invest in robotics and packaging equipment that allow us to grow our revenue and be more efficient. And that is exciting.”

Linemark’s story is one of balancing cutting-edge technology with a culture that thrives on collaboration and continuous improvement. “We’re honored to be considered an innovator,” Marcian reflects. “It’s what we’ve done [and] continue to do, and we seek ideas from anyone in the organization on a daily basis. We want a culture that applauds challenging the business.”

This mindset ensures Linemark will remain at the forefront of commercial printing today and well into the future.