COMPANY·HISTORIES
NAIC 323110

Commercial Lithographic Printing

How the companies in this industry began, and the forces that shaped them.

38companies1900–1999founding years38still active0no longer operating
§ 01

The industry over time

Companies foundedEconomyTechnologyEnvironmentHistory
FoundedNCR Corporation
1900
FoundedBanta Corporation
1901
1903
TechnologyThe Wright brothers achieve powered flight.
FoundedWallace Computer Services, Inc.
1908
1914
EconomyWorld War I begins; global trade reorders.
FoundedNaspers Ltd.
1915
FoundedArandell CorporationFoundedChampion Industries, Inc.
1922
1929
EconomyThe stock market crashes; the Great Depression spreads worldwide.
1939
EconomyWorld War II begins; wartime production surges.
1945
EconomyThe war ends; a long global expansion begins.
1947
TechnologyThe transistor is invented.
FoundedFrankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung GmbH
1949
1958
TechnologyThe integrated circuit is demonstrated.
1962
EnvironmentSilent Spring launches the modern environmental movement.
FoundedQuebecor Inc.
1965
FoundedShorewood Packaging Corporation
1967
FoundedMerrill Corporation
1968
FoundedMorris Communications Corporation
1970
1971
EconomyThe dollar leaves the gold standard; currencies float.
1973
EconomyThe OPEC oil embargo triggers a global shock.
FoundedTaylor Corporation
1975
TechnologyThe personal-computer era begins.
1979
EconomyA second oil crisis drives inflation higher worldwide.
1981
TechnologyThe IBM PC launches and sets a standard.
1984
TechnologyApple ships the Macintosh; the GUI era begins.
FoundedConsolidated Graphics, Inc.
1985
1987
EconomyBlack Monday: markets fall sharply around the world.
1989
HistoryThe Berlin Wall falls; global markets open up.
FoundedPMP Ltd.
1991
TechnologyThe World Wide Web is released to the public.
FoundedValassis Communications, Inc.
1992
1993
TechnologyThe Mosaic browser brings the web to everyone.
FoundedCenveo Inc.
1994
1995
TechnologyWindows 95 launches; the internet goes mainstream.
FoundedTreasure Chest Advertising Company, Inc.
1997
EconomyThe Asian financial crisis rattles global markets.
EnvironmentThe Kyoto Protocol sets the first climate targets.
FoundedGrupo Clarín S.A.
1999
2000
EconomyThe dot-com bubble bursts.
2004
TechnologySocial media and Web 2.0 take hold.
2007
TechnologyThe iPhone launches the smartphone era.
2008
EconomyThe global financial crisis freezes credit worldwide.
2010
TechnologyCloud computing goes mainstream for business.
2015
EnvironmentThe Paris Agreement sets global climate targets.
2020
EconomyThe COVID-19 pandemic upends the global economy.
2022
EconomyInflation spikes; central banks raise rates sharply.
2023
TechnologyGenerative AI reaches mainstream business use.
§ 02

The companies

NCR Corporation →
Active · founded 1900
When National Cash Register Company was formed during the last two decades of the 19th century, it had one…
NCR Corporation →
Active · founded 1900
When National Cash Register Company was formed during the last two decades of the 19th century, it had one…
Banta Corporation →
Active · founded 1901
Banta Corporation, one of the nation's largest printing and digital imaging companies, literally started in a…
Banta Corporation →
Active · founded 1901
Banta Corporation, one of the nation's largest printing and digital imaging companies, literally started in a…
Wallace Computer Services, Inc. →
Active · founded 1908
Wallace Computer Services, Inc.
Wallace Computer Services, Inc. →
Active · founded 1908
Wallace Computer Services, Inc.
Naspers Ltd. →
Active · founded 1915 · South Africa
Naspers Ltd.
Naspers Ltd. →
Active · founded 1915 · South Africa
Naspers Ltd.
Arandell Corporation →
Active · founded 1922
Arandell Corporation is one of the nation's leading printers of upscale catalogs.
Arandell Corporation →
Active · founded 1922
Arandell Corporation is one of the nation's leading printers of upscale catalogs.
Champion Industries, Inc. →
Active · founded 1922
Champion Industries, Inc.
Champion Industries, Inc. →
Active · founded 1922
Champion Industries, Inc.
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung GmbH →
Active · founded 1949 · Germany
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung GmbH publishes the German daily newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung--FAZ for short.
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung GmbH →
Active · founded 1949 · Germany
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung GmbH publishes the German daily newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung--FAZ for short.
Quebecor Inc. →
Active · founded 1965 · Canada
Quebecor Inc.
Quebecor Inc. →
Active · founded 1965 · Canada
Quebecor Inc.
Shorewood Packaging Corporation →
Active · founded 1967
Shorewood Packaging Corporation and its subsidiaries print and manufacture high-quality paperboard packaging for the…
Shorewood Packaging Corporation →
Active · founded 1967
Shorewood Packaging Corporation and its subsidiaries print and manufacture high-quality paperboard packaging for the…
Merrill Corporation →
Active · founded 1968
Merrill Corporation delivers diverse document management and communications services to the worldwide financial, legal,…
Merrill Corporation →
Active · founded 1968
Merrill Corporation delivers diverse document management and communications services to the worldwide financial, legal,…
Morris Communications Corporation →
Active · founded 1970
Morris Communications Corporation (MCC) is a mid-sized media company with holdings in diverse media.
Morris Communications Corporation →
Active · founded 1970
Morris Communications Corporation (MCC) is a mid-sized media company with holdings in diverse media.
Taylor Corporation →
Active · founded 1975
Taylor Corporation, a leading North American commercial printer, claims to hold 90 percent of the formal wedding…
Taylor Corporation →
Active · founded 1975
Taylor Corporation, a leading North American commercial printer, claims to hold 90 percent of the formal wedding…
Consolidated Graphics, Inc. →
Active · founded 1985
Consolidated Graphics, Inc.
Consolidated Graphics, Inc. →
Active · founded 1985
Consolidated Graphics, Inc.
PMP Ltd. →
Active · founded 1991 · Australia
PMP Ltd.
PMP Ltd. →
Active · founded 1991 · Australia
PMP Ltd.
Valassis Communications, Inc. →
Active · founded 1992
1970s:Company grows with success of inserts, moves operations to Livonia, Michigan.
Valassis Communications, Inc. →
Active · founded 1992
1970s:Company grows with success of inserts, moves operations to Livonia, Michigan.
Cenveo Inc. →
Active · founded 1994
1920s:Company changes its name to Rockmount Envelope Co.
Cenveo Inc. →
Active · founded 1994
1920s:Company changes its name to Rockmount Envelope Co.
Treasure Chest Advertising Company, Inc. →
Active · founded 1997
Treasure Chest Advertising Company, Inc.
Treasure Chest Advertising Company, Inc. →
Active · founded 1997
Treasure Chest Advertising Company, Inc.
Grupo Clarín S.A. →
Active · founded 1999 · Argentina
Grupo Clarín S.A., a privately owned Argentine holding company, is the leading media group in the Spanish-speaking…
Grupo Clarín S.A. →
Active · founded 1999 · Argentina
Grupo Clarín S.A., a privately owned Argentine holding company, is the leading media group in the Spanish-speaking…
Next Media Ltd. →
Active · founded 1999 · Hong Kong
One of Hong Kong's leading newspaper and magazine publishers, Next Media Ltd.
Next Media Ltd. →
Active · founded 1999 · Hong Kong
One of Hong Kong's leading newspaper and magazine publishers, Next Media Ltd.
Build It Today

Starting a commercial lithographic printing company now

Each week we rebuild one of these stories for today's tools and capital.