Top 30 Book Manufacturers

UPDATE: Click here to see the latest ranking of Top Book Manufacturers.

If 2007 goes down as “The Year of RR Donnelley,” it will do so as a result of a 65-day span at the turn of the year during which the conglomerate announced it would acquire three industry stalwarts: Perry Judd’s, Von Hoffman and Banta Corp. But the past year has been about more than consolidation and leveraged buyouts. North American printers continue to grapple with the mounting menace that is offshore manufacturing, fluctuating paper prices amid a series of mill shutdowns, and the ever-evolving technological demands of their customers. And yet, despite these challenges, there are also a number of opportunities facing the market. In this special report, top executives from five of the companies on Book Business’ 2007 listing of the Top 30 Book Manufacturers (see list on next page) offer their insights into the influences shaping today’s book manufacturing market (page 20).

This year’s listing remains largely in line with last year’s Top 30. Still, consolidations and takeovers opened the door for a few newcomers to the list, including Commercial Communications Inc., Data Reproductions and Integrated Book Technology. Visant Corp. again claimed the No. 1 spot, as RR Donnelley’s refusal to report revenue earned from books precluded their inclusion on the list.

Book Business’ annual list of North America’s Top 30 Book Manufacturers serves as the industry’s most comprehensive ranking of the leading public and private book printers in the United States and Canada. Revenues for Canadian companies were converted to U.S. dollar equivalents, where applicable. The rankings include financial information voluntarily provided by privately held firms. Despite Book Business’ repeated attempts, some privately held companies refused to divulge their annual printing sales figures—or would not break down these sales by book revenue—and, therefore, were not included on the list. BB