COMPANYHISTORIES
NAIC 323110

Commercial Lithographic Printing

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

21companies1795–1999founding years21still active0no longer operating
§ 01

The industry over time

Companies foundedEconomyTechnologyEnvironmentHistory
FoundedAmerican Banknote Corporation
1795
FoundedGeiger Bros.
1878
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
FoundedChampion Industries, Inc.
1922
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
1975
TechnologyThe personal-computer era begins.
1981
TechnologyThe IBM PC launches and sets a standard.
1984
TechnologyApple ships the Macintosh; the GUI era begins.
FoundedConsolidated Graphics, Inc.
1985
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
EnvironmentThe Kyoto Protocol sets the first climate targets.
FoundedGrupo Clarín S.A.
1999
2004
TechnologySocial media and Web 2.0 take hold.
2007
TechnologyThe iPhone launches the smartphone era.
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

American Banknote Corporation →
Active · founded 1795
American Banknote Corporation is a holding company with subsidiaries in the United States, Brazil, Australia, New…
Geiger Bros. →
Active · founded 1878
Geiger Bros., founded in 1878, is the largest privately held company in promotional advertising and the largest…
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…
Wallace Computer Services, Inc. →
Active · founded 1908
Wallace Computer Services, Inc.
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.
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.
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…
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.
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.
PMP Ltd. →
Active · founded 1991 · Australia
PMP Ltd.
Valassis Communications, Inc. →
Active · founded 1992
Valassis Communications, Inc.
Cenveo Inc. →
Active · founded 1994
Early 1960s:Rockmount is operating as a subsidiary of Pak-Well Paper Industries, 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…
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 with today's tools and capital.