Perry Judd

RR Donnelley served notice to the former Heartland Press plant in Spencer, IA, that it planned to close for good by March 13. The move leaves 160 employees without jobs. The plant was obtained by Donnelley in the Perry Judd’s acquisition.

By far, the biggest development in the publication and catalog printing sectors has been the dramatic upswing in capital investment. In some cases the same equipment is slated to serve both markets, while other machines are going into plants dedicated to one or the other application. The ranks of multiple web press purchasers includes the likes of Perry Judd's and Trend Offset Printing, but vying for the title of biggest spender are Quebecor World (22 presses) and Quad/Graphics ($200+ million for a range of equipment). Dave Boles, COO, North America, at Quebecor World, and Thomas Quadracci, president and CEO of Quad/Graphics, were kind enough to

BY MARK SMITH Judging the strength of the printed catalog market segment used to be a straight-forward proposition. Catalogers merely had to compare the total dollar value of orders placed with the cost of producing and distributing their print programs in order to determine the financial return. The rise of online shopping is beginning to skew this traditional benchmark. If a shopper initially selects items by perusing a printed catalog, but actually executes the order via a Website and online catalog, which medium gets credit for the sale? Should each get partial credit? Top 10 -- Catalog Printers   CompanySegmentSales(millions)TotalSales (millions) 1Quebecor WorldMontreal$1,071$6,300

HOUSTON—The heat of midsummer seemed to have slowed the ongoing acquisition fever in the graphic arts business, but as summer winds down and executives return from vacation, a new spate of acquisition announcements has arrived. Consolidated Graphics, based here, led the pack, signing letters of intent to acquire five new companies. Four of the new acquisitions—McKay Press in Midland, MI, Royle Communications in Sun Prairie, WI, Graphtec in Annapolis Junction, MD, and Printing Corp. of America in Baltimore— were acquired in one transaction led by Radnor, PA-based Compass Capital Partners. Only days later Consolidated signed another deal to acquire Bloomington, IL-based Metropolitan Printing Service. Upon

BY JERRY JANDA Phil Ruggles, a Cal Poly State University professor and consultant specializing in management information systems, estimates that this year there are approximately 70 vendors selling computer management systems to the graphic arts industry. As of yet, no vendors sell software that makes selecting, and integrating, a computer management system any easier. Ruggles notes that there is no easy way to determine which computer management system is best for a given company—there are simply too many variables to allow for a quick choice. Research and study by the printer are essential. And at the end of the research process, it is unlikely