PI 400 List Delivers Industry Snapshot

Arguably our most eagerly awaited issue, the editorial team at Printing Impressions is proud to present the 2015 Printing Impressions 400 list of the largest printing companies in the United States and Canada as ranked by annual sales. This marks the 32nd consecutive year that we’ve compiled the PI “top printers” rankings. Long-time readers may recall that we used to publish a PI 500 list annually, but the rankings were revamped to 400 companies largely due to a steady barrage of consolidation.

Change is one constant that our industry can count on. Aside from some well-known printing company names that drop off the list from year to year—primarily due to M&A activity—the PI 400 rankings also illustrate other forms of industry evolution. Most apparent is the ongoing digital printing revolution, most recently centered around inkjet technology. Several PI 400 organizations have installed wide-format inkjet printers in 2015 to enter new markets, such as signage, point-of-purchase materials, window graphics, decals and more. High-speed production inkjet presses are also supplanting offset and toner-based digital printing devices, primarily in the book, direct mail and transactional printing spaces.

Several perennial company names head the PI 400 again this year. RR Donnelley towers over Quad/Graphics with $11.6 billion in annual sales, and Quad’s $4.9 billion in revenues are more than double that of Cenveo, Transcontinental, Deluxe and Cimpress (Vistaprint). Noticeably absent from our $1+ billion sales club is privately held Taylor Corp., which purchased Standard Register’s assets last June for $307 million. Taylor does not divulge its financials.

Looking ahead to the 2016 PI 400 list, RR Donnelley reports it’s still on track to split into three separate, publicly traded companies next October—a move to maximize the value of its parts on Wall Street and perhaps an admission that the conglomerate has become too large and diverse to manage. Also dropping off, or drastically down, on next year’s rankings will be the once $831.8 million Visant Corp., which divested both Jostens and Phoenix Color this year.

Despite all of the upheaval, one constant that remains, though, is the need to reflect on our many blessings as 2015 comes to a close. Printing Impressions is most grateful for the strong bonds we’ve built with our audience. Happy Holidays and Best Wishes for the New Year to all!