Premedia Leaders

GAM and IPA team up to present a list of the biggest providers of premedia services by sales volume.

By Lisa Cross, Senior Editor -- Graphic Arts Online, 4/1/2008

The customer rules in today's premedia world, say the leaders on GAM/IPA's Top Premedia list based on sales, presented on the following pages. While always important, the customer used to be secondary to technologies employed or services offered. Now, customers are more demanding than ever, as simpler premedia tasks move inhouse to clients, demand for complex jobs they can't handle grows. In turn, facilities management services have presented new opportunities as customers ask: 'Is that really my core business?'

These trends and more were revealed at a Premedia Leaders Lunch hosted by trade association IPA at last fall's Graph Expo. The event was sponsored by Kodak and Adobe.

The 2008 list is divided into two sections: firms whose premedia sales are greater than 50% of total sales and those that are 50% or less. Premedia services was defined as preflighting, proofing, color retouching, color separations, image assembly, platemaking, photography, data management, workflow and other media production.

Some big firms are noticeably absent from the list: RR Donnelley, Quebecor World, Taylor Corp., Vertis and others, as they don't break out the premedia portion for their total sales.

Company, Location, Parent, CEO	2007 Premedia Sales ($000)	% of total revenue	2006 Premedia Sales ($000)	% Change	Premedia Employees	Sales Per Employee	Premedia Locations	Primary Market
Premedia Firms (premedia sales greater Than 50% of total)
Schawk, Inc.Chicago, IL, David Schawk, IPA	544,400	91% - 100%	546,100	-0.3%	3,600	151,222	153	Packaging
SGS International Lousville, KY, Hank Baughman, IPA	308,800	91% - 100%	276,300	11.76%	1,733	178,888	39	Packaging
Matthews Brand Solutions (Matthews Int. Corp.), Pittsburgh, PA, Lawrence Keeley Jr.	283,663	91% - 100%	270,961	4.69%	2,600	109,101	37	Packaging
The CAPS Group** Chicago, IL, John Reilly, IPA	75,000	76% - 90%	70,000	7.14%	550	136.364	10	Advertising Agencies
G.A. Communications, Inc. Stone Mountain, GA, Richard Davis	31,000	91% - 100%	29,000	6.90%	305	101,639	6	Retail
Phototype Cincinnati, OH, Steve Olberding, IPA	24,000	51% - 75%	20,000	20.00%	160	150,000	12	Packaging
GSG Design New York, NY, Ken Madsen, IPA	23,000	91% - 100%	21,000	9.52%	140	164,268	1	Corporate
Widen Enterprises, Inc. Madison, WI, Reed Widen, IPA	16,700	51% - 75%	16,700	0.00%	110	151,818	1	Corporate
Phipps Graphiques* LaSalle, QB, Jeffrey Mahar, IPA	6,556	91% - 100%	5,579	17.51%	30	218,533	1	Other
TSI Graphics Inc. Effingham, IL, Richard Whitsitt, IPA	6,360	91% - 100%	5,230	21.61%	70	90,857	3	Books
Platinum Imaging Dallas, TX, Damien Gough	5,500	91% - 100%	5,000	10.00%	26	211,538	1	Catalogs
Williams & Partners, Inc. North Reading, MA, Walter Williams, IPA	3,250	91% - 100%	2,900	12.07%	15	216,667	1	Advertising Agencies
Beat Studios Chicago, IL, John Aitken, IPA	3,000	91% - 100%	2,500	20.00%	12	250,000	2	Advertising Agencies
Arscentia Bellevue, WA, Leonard Lute	2,500	76% - 90%	1,500	66.67%	21	119,048	2	Corporate
Infoscan Collette Inc.* (Marquis Book Printing) Sherbrooke, QB, Serge Loubier	2,447	91% - 100%	3,573	-31.51%	30	81,567	2	Books
HK Graphics, Inc.Everett, MA, Chris Keshishian, IPA	2,100	91% - 100%	1,700	23.53%	11	190,909	1	Advertising Agencies
FlexoGrafix, Incorporated Wood Dale, IL, Ken Pavett	2,000	91% - 100%	1,700	17.65%	13	153,846	1	Packaging
Printer Premedia Providers (premedia Sales 50% or Less than total)
Custom Direct, Inc. Roselle, IL, John Georgas	1,600	91% - 100%	2,000	-20.00%	8	200,000	1	Packaging
Quad/Graphics, Inc. Sussex, WI, Joel Quadracci	164,200	1% - 10%	159,000	3.27%	550	298,545	21 (Includes Facilities at Clients)	Catalogs
Primary Color Inc.Costa Mesa, CA, Dan Hirt	48,750	26%-50%	23,250	110%	300	162,500	2	Corporate
American Color Brentwood, TN, Stephen Dyott, IPA	48,500	11% - 25%	53,800	-9.85%	N/A	N/A	6	Retail
Transcontinental Inc.***Brampton, ON, Francois Olivier	45,554	1-10%	N/A	N/A	360	126,500	4	Retail
Stevenson, The Color Company Cincinnati, OH, Jeff Stevenson, IPA	21,750	26% - 50%	21,500	1.16%	120	181,250	1	Packaging
LAgraphico Burbank, CA, Dan Stillwell, IPA	14,943	26% - 50%	14,349	4.14%	90	166,033	1	Corporate
Tukaiz, LLC Franklin Park, IL, Frank Defino, Sr., IPA	10,000	26% - 50%	7,000	42.86%	45	222,222	1	Corporate
Williamson Printing Dallas, TX, Jerry Williamson	10,000	1% - 10%	9,500	5.26%	30	333,333	2	Advertising Agencies
Global Group, Inc.***Fort Worth, TX, Jim Wolf, IPA,	5,250,	11%-25%	6,500	-19.23%	17	308,824	1	Corporate
Times Printing Co. (Brown+Partners) Random Lake, WI, Ray Scholler	5,000	11% - 25%	9,000	-44.44%	45	111,111	1	Catalogs
Capital Spectrum & CSI Austin, TX, Charles “Chuck” Sack, IPA	5,000	11% - 25%	6,000	-16.67%	21	238,095	1	Advertising Agencies
Johnston Lithograph Inc. Romulus, MI, Keith Johnston	3,000	11% - 25%	2,750	9.09%	5	600,000	1	Other
Midstates Printing, Inc. Aberdeen, SD, Roger Feickert	3,000	1% - 10%	3,000	0.00%	15	200,000	2	Catalogs
EU Services Rockville, MD, Art Simpson, IPA	2,950	1% - 10%	2,825	4.42%	30	98,333	1	Corporate
Craftsman Press Cheverly, MD, Anthony D'Agrosa	2,750	1% - 10%	2,650	3.77%	9	305,556	1	Other
Digital Color Image Pennsauken, NJ, Rich McGee, IPA	2,000	26% - 50%	6,000	-66.67%	9	222,222	1	Packaging
Metzgers Toledo, OH, Tom Metzger	2,000	1% - 10%	1,500	33.33%	5	400,000	1	Corporate
Publications Press, Inc. Montgomery, AL, William Johnson	1,600	1% - 10%	900	77.78%	22	72,727	1	Publications
Dome Printing Sacramento, CA, Tim Poole	1,500	1% - 10%	1,200	25.00%	15	100,000	1	Corporate
Most firms listed responded to an e-mail survey sent by GAM and IPA, a few firms sale's were either estimated or culled from public financial documents. Notes: Converted from Canadian , $1 = CAD $1.02166; Includes HudsonYards, Black Dot and Caps Chicago; **Estimated; IPA denotes membership in the association