Printing Arts

DARIEN, CT—The 2001 campaign continues to be a challenging one for some of commercial printing's biggest names. Printing Arts America (PAA), based here, has filed for Chapter 11 reorganizational bankruptcy, another blow to the once-flourishing corps of commercial printing industry consolidators. Joe Ahearn, of Pilgrim Associates, has been brought in by PAA to lead the company during its bankruptcy proceedings. Ahearn replaces departed President/CEO Marion Antonini. Harris DeWese, of Compass Capital Partners, has been engaged to advise PAA on strategic direction. Formed in 1998, PAA quickly made a name for itself by acquiring 11 companies in the United States and Mexico. The debt accrued in financing the

Editor's note: Company rankings for the current and previous years are based on figures reported in 2001. Therefore, companies that revised their 2000 revenues may have changed their '00 ranking as compared with the ranking that appeared in last year's Printing Impressions 400. Similarly, the percentage change in sales is calculated on the most recent information provided. 2001 Ranking:Previous Year's Ranking:Company:Total Sales (millions):Previous Year's (millions):Change (%):Principal Officer:Employees:Primary Specialties:Web Offset Units:Sheetfed Offset Units:Other:Ownership:Plants: 11Quebecor World, Montréal, Canada$6,500.00$5,000.00+30Charles G. Cavell44,000PUB 29%; ADV 20%; CAT 17%; DM 13%3,156985808Public160  2001 Ranking:Previous Year's Ranking:Company:Total Sales (millions):Previous Year's (millions):Change (%):Principal Officer:Employees:Primary Specialties:Web Offset Units:Sheetfed Offset Units:Other:Ownership:Plants: 21R.R. Donnelley & Sons,

BY HARRIS DEWESE Have you been thinking now is the time to sell your printing company, buy a 60-foot Hatteras yacht and retire to Boca Raton? Forget it! Merger and acquisition activity in the printing industry is at a standstill. But, you say, "DeWese, you are crazy! My company is much better than my competitor, Smart Al's Lithographing. Al sold his print shop to a consolidator less than two years ago and he is living in Key Largo where he fishes on his 42-foot Chris Craft. He told me that he was paid more than six times earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and

If you know the name of a printing company that you think appears on the Printing Impressions 400 list, but you're not sure of its ranking, here's an easy way to locate that firm. Simply find the company in the alphabetical listings on this page. In addition to each company's name and headquarters location, a corresponding number appears indicating that firm's ranking on the Printing Impressions 400. ABS Graphics (Addison, IL) 400 Action Printing (Fond du Lac, WI) 353 Adams Business Forms (Topeka, KS) 96 AdPlex Inc. (Houston, TX) 102 Advance Business Graphics (Mira Loma, CA) 153 AFL Web Printing (Voorhees, NJ)

Editor's note: Company rankings for the current and previous years are based on figures reported in 2000. Therefore, companies that revised their 1999 revenues may have changed their '99 ranking as compared with the ranking that appeared in last year's Printing Impressions 500. Similarly, the percentage change in sales is calculated on the most recent information provided.2000 Ranking:Previous Year's Ranking:Company:Total Sales (millions):Previous Year's (millions):Change (%):Principal Officer:Employees:Primary Specialties:Web Offset Units:Sheetfed Offset Units:Other:Ownership:Plants:1 1Quebecor World*, Montreal, Canada$6,540.00$6,160.00+6Charles G. Cavell44,000PUB 29%; ADV 20%; CAT 17%; DM 13%3,156985808Public 160*Parent: Quebecor Inc., Montreal, Canada  2000 Ranking:Previous Year's Ranking:Company:Total Sales (millions):Previous Year's (millions):Change (%):Principal Officer:Employees:Primary Specialties:Web Offset Units:Sheetfed Offset Units:Other:Ownership:Plants:2

I am writing this on January 1, 2000, and there's trouble brewing in the old print shop. Yep, Joe Davis, chairman and CEO of Consolidated Graphics, announced in a press release that he "believes lower-than-expected sales volume is attributable to general industry conditions." Davis believes this statement because Andrew Paparozzi, chief economist for the National Association of Printing Leadership (NAPL), published a report that said, for the first time in 15 years, real print sales (RPS) is lagging behind gross domestic product (GDP) growth. According to Paparozzi, printing industry sales growth will slow to 3 percent to 3.5 percent from the 4 percent to 5

BY CHRISTOPHER CORNELL Each little drop in the bucket doesn't amount to much, but after a while it can turn into a torrent; that's the metaphor that applies to the graphic arts industry in 1999. Each individual merger and acquisition during the course of the year didn't affect the industry that much, but, in the aggregate, 1999 will likely be remembered as the year in which the number of companies in it noticeably shrunk. The biggest news story of the year was one just about everybody saw coming. Just after mid-year, following weeks of industry speculation, Quebecor Printing and World Color Press signed a

Old values, new blood, high hopes. These are the foundational forces that withstand time, yet inspire change and growth, for printing's newest executives. BY CHERYL A. ADAMS For King of Prussia, PA-based XYAN, 1999 was a very big year. First, two new executives were named: CEO Alan Belyea and President David McGrew. But according to these top two execs, the even bigger news is XYAN's recent announcement that the company is refining its business strategy. Focusing on its Internet capabilities, which include on-line ordering, file transmission and e-commerce fulfillment, the firm has changed its name to XYAN.com and has revised its logo to reflect

WESTPORT, CT—Terry Tevis, president and CEO of quickly expanding industry consolidator Printing Arts America (PAA), has submitted his resignation to the company's board of directors, effective immediately. In his place, the board has named one of its own, Marion H. Antonini, to succeed Tevis. Tevis will remain on the company's board as vice chairman through the end of the year. PAA officials say Antonini brings a broad business background with extensive experience in operations, corporate acquisitions and strategic planning at such companies as Xerox, where he was group vice president worldwide operations, and Welbilt, where he was chairman and CEO from 1990 through 1998.

Internet-savvy commercial printers are taking advantage of new Web tools and services to better communicate with their clients and to fine-tune print production. BY MARIE RANOIA ALONSO If any lingering doubt existed in the minds of industry executives that the Internet would, in fact, be a critical, production-oriented tool for commercial printing, that doubt can now safely be regarded as an echo of a bygone notion. For all those still shaking their heads at the thought of the Internet as a viable player in digital prepress and overall print production, perhaps a takeoff on the popular motion picture persona Austin Powers might bring it