A Living Legend: Mark Michelson Joins Printing Industry Hall of Fame

Mark Michelson, editor-in-chief of Printing Impressions for 40 years, is the 2025 Hall of Fame inductee.

How could we possibly distill onto just a few pages the life and impact Mark Michelson has had on the printing industry? For starters, the pages of this magazine might have faded into non-existence if not for him. He would be too humble to admit that, but many of the printing industry magazines that were at one time titans in the field have become just a memory. However, 40 years ago, Michelson took over the helm of Printing Impressions and shaped it into what it is today. Surviving technology changes not just within the printing industry, but as a journalist — he recalls the manual aspect of the job fondly.

“We had T-squares and X-Acto knives if you wanted to open up the leading between the lines, you had to manually move them down and keep it straight,” he says. “I would come home with type stuck on my elbows and my clothes and repro copy stuck to the bottom of my feet from the waxing machine … and I really enjoyed it. I really enjoyed the manufacturing side of publishing the magazine.”

Exactly 40 years ago, he also launched the Printing Impressions/RIT Hall of Fame awards, so it’s only fitting that in its 40th year, we honor the man that brought us here. Each year, the awards honor four experienced printing industry leaders who have proven their dedication to the craft. This year, the Hall of Fame will have only one inductee.

A Long Journey to the Top

Originally from DeKalb, Illinois, Michelson worked at a newspaper after graduating from Northern Illinois University. Knowing that he wanted to move out of newspapers and coinciding with a move to the East Coast, Michelson entered the printing industry with a job at North American Publishing Company (later renamed NAPCO Media) in January of 1982 as an assistant editor for the publication now known as Packaging Impressions. In 1983, he moved up to take the position of editor of the brand before moving on to take over Printing Impressions in 1985, a position he held until his retirement in October of 2024.

Michelson raised his oldest two grandchildren, Marcus and Makayla.

During his time as the editor of Printing Impressions, he launched the Hall of Fame Awards, which at one time was celebrated with an annual banquet that coincided with the Graph Expo or Print show. It became so popular at one point that when it was held at the Grand Ballroom in the Hilton Hotel on Michigan avenue in Chicago, 1,200 people attended.

He also co-founded the Gold Ink awards — a long-running industry award program celebrating print — and he started the Innovator of the Year program. Many of the initiatives Michelson began and continued throughout his career focus on the people in the industry, which he says is intentional.

“Yes, it’s a technologically driven industry, but when it’s all said and done, it’s a people industry,” he notes. “Printers want to read about what other printers are doing and what has made them successful.”

It’s no surprise that Michelson’s focus during his long career in the industry has been on the people who make up the industry. If you ask anyone to share their feelings about him, one sentiment surfaces time and again. Michelson is a people person. He makes an impact on every person he meets. Over the years, many of the people Michelson met became part of his life.

“A lot of people in the industry started out as professional acquaintances, but are now individuals I would view as close friends,” he says.

Two of those people are Sid and Adi Chinai— father and son from Lowell, Massachusetts-based King Printing who were both individually inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2020 and 2023, respectively. They not only view Michelson as a leader in the field, but as a dear friend.

“No one’s rolodex and knowledge of the industry is deeper,” they said in a statement about Michelson. “Mark has a profound ability to connect with anyone, and learn about what is happening and report it to our industry in a way that would captivate and inform everyone. Mark is also just a super person, always willing to help and be there for anyone. His knowledge and guidance has helped the industry to stay with wind in its sails. Mark’s induction and recognition for the Hall of Fame is a testament to his amazing and highly successful career.”

Getting to know those in the industry on a personal level didn’t happen overnight. Michelson spent decades traveling to events around the world.

Michelson and his granddaughter Makayla, who will be a pre-med student next fall.

“To be a part of an industry, you have to be out there,” he says. “You can’t do it from your office. In the early years, I was a young guy going to these events where a lot of the executives were older men. I was the new kid on the block, so to speak, which is ironic. You go from that and now I’m the old man going to events near the end of my career. It’s hard to believe.”

Michelson carries many memorable experiences with him from the time he spent traveling to events in the printing industry, most overwhelmingly positive but some … utterly unforgettable. His first drupa took place the year after he became editor of Printing Impressions. It was May of 1986 and Michelson recalls fear among Americans surrounding the event. In April of that year, not only had the U.S. bombed Libya following Muammar Gaddafi’s attack on West Berlin, Germany, but the meltdown at Chernobyl happened in the same month.

“While we were there, they told us not to eat the eggs coming from Poland since they could be radioactive,” he recalls.

Another memorable experience for Michelson came in September of 2001, when the industry gathered in Chicago for the Print Show. Those who attended that year will remember that the event took place during the tragedy of September 11. Because the airports were shut down and many people couldn’t leave, the show organizers decided to keep the show floor open.

“Exhibitors put TVs in their booths and people stood around looking at the monitors,” he remembers. “It happened on a Tuesday, and it was the day I was supposed to fly home. I finally got a rental car on Friday. … There were stories of people buying junker cars to get home, renting U-hauls, and buying Winnebagos.”

Not every traveling experience coincided with globally remembered events, but Michelson looks back at his years of travel fondly.

“I traveled all over the world, which was a great part of the job,” he says. “I never would have been able to do that kind of travel. Some were not quite as glamorous because we would go to Europe for a one-day event and be more jet lagged than anything. But yes, there were some wonderful trips.”

The Road Ahead

While the impact Michelson has had on the industry stretches far, those who have had the privilege of working alongside him note the sheer force his influence has had.

Dave Leskusky, president of PRINTING United Alliance, started at NAPCO Media when Michelson had already made a name for himself in the industry.

“When I joined Printing Impressions in 1995, Mark Michelson was already an industry icon; the face of the brand and THE trusted voice in print,” Leskusky says. “Back then, premium ad positions were cover two or cover four, but I always encouraged my clients to place their ads opposite Mark’s editorial. That was like buying a billboard on the busiest highway because everyone read Mark’s column first. … He never shied away from tough questions or uncomfortable topics, but he approached every story with research, balance, and fairness. If there were a Pulitzer Prize for journalism in the printing industry, it would be called the Michelson. Probably most importantly, he’s been an incredible mentor, leader, writer, and friend.”

Similarly, In-plant Impressions Content Director Bob Neubauer recalls Michelson’s early encouragement of his work as a factor that kept him in the industry.

“I was hired to write for Target Marketing magazine at NAPCO in 1991 and didn’t love it,” he explains. “A few months in, Mark needed an associate editor and asked me to move to Printing Impressions. Though I knew nothing about printing, I was encouraged by his leadership. He praised some of my early articles which inspired me to work even harder. When an opportunity arose to become managing editor of [a spinoff of Printing Impressions called] Top Management News, he promoted me to the job. Thirty-four years later, I’m still with the company, now as editor of In-plant Impressions, and I credit Mark’s early encouragement with keeping me at NAPCO and inspiring my respect for the printing industry.”

Michelson dedicated more than 40 years to this industry, all while raising two sons as a single father, and later, two grandchildren. Now, he has eight grandchildren that he spends a lot of his time and holidays with. And as a pre-retirement gift to himself last year, he brought a new family member into his home, a mini goldendoodle named Bentley.

Bentley, Michelson’s mini goldendoodle, just turned two years old.

“I grew up with a dog,” he explains. “I’ve always loved dogs, but when I was raising my two sons as a single father, it was too much with travel. A dog provides great companionship, and it’s unconditional love, and that’s so hard to get in life. That’s probably the most wonderful thing.”

As Michelson moves farther into retirement, he hopes to one day get back into some of the sports he loves, including tennis, which he used to play. He is an avid Philadelphia sports fan, always watching the Eagles, Sixers, and the Phillies. As a former basketball player, March Madness is something he enjoys watching each year. He notes that visiting and hiking some of the U.S.’s National Parks is also a goal in his retirement.

With everything to be proud of, both in his professional career and his personal life, Michelson remains unwaveringly humble. When asked how he feels that he is now part of the Hall of Fame inductee list, he turns it instead to the caliber of people that make up the industry.

“There are still so many printers out there that are deserving of being honored,” he says. “I’m a printer wannabe with a journalism background. … I don’t know if I deserve it, but I’m honored.”