David Savastano, Editor03.07.17
From its modest beginnings in 1935 to its award-winning presence today, Allen Press, Lawrence, KS, has thrived for more than 80 years, with every reason to believe that the family-owned printer will continue its excellence for many years to come.
Led by its president Rand Allen, a second-generation member of the family that founded the company, Allen Press specializes in publication printing.
“Our core print business comprises of bound magazines, journals, books and catalogs,” said Maria Preston-Cargill, VP of marketing for Allen Press. “We primarily service scholarly, trade, hobby, community lifestyle and B2B markets.” Founded by Harold Allen in 1935, Allen Press started out as a small commercial print shop serving the local community. Printing a high-quality journal for bird enthusiasts proved to be a key turning point for the company.
“In 1950, Allen Press began printing a scientific journal for the Wilson Ornithological Society called The Wilson Bulletin,” Preston-Cargill said. “This historic partnership served as the catalyst that drove Allen Press to focus its business on printing publications.”
As an example of its quality and long-standing relationships with its customers, Allen Press and Wilson Ornithological Society still are partners today.
Allen Press specializes in offset printing, using heatset web and sheetfed technologies, and also offers digital to produce shorter press runs. Allen Press’ press portfolio includes a Heidelberg M600 6-unit heatset web press, a Harris M200 4-unit heatset web press, a Komori Lithrone S40P 6-unit sheetfed press and a Xerox XC 1000 4-color digital press.
Quality and determination are two of the keys that differentiate Allen Press from other printers.
“Allen Press has always had a tenacious spirit. The company is well known for its service offerings to publishers and award-winning print quality,” Preston-Cargill said. “Our breadth of publication expertise sets us apart from traditional commercial printers.
“In addition to print production, Allen Press also offers a host of services for scholarly publications including peer review, editing, composition and online distribution as well as association management, publishing, advertising sales and marketing communication services. We are located in the Midwest, which is an advantage in managing smart mailing and shipping solutions coast to coast.”
This quality is seen in Allen Press earning a Gold Ink Award for The Mineralogical Record this year. Preston-Cargill said that The Mineralogical Record is a special project.
“The Mineralogical Record is really an amazing publication,” she observed. “The photography is top-notch, so the incredible details of the minerals really come through. Our job is to capture those details through ink on paper.
“Color management is paramount,” Preston-Cargill added. “Allen Press follows G7 best practices from proofs to press sheet to ensure our color is on target. We start working with the customer to produce color proofs before the publication layout is complete so that we can be sure each image matches their vision. Precision is required to create an accurate representation of the minerals as mineralogists often use the publication to assess the quality of the minerals in their own collections.”
To meet these quality requirements, Allen Press relies on its ink manufacturers to provide consistent, high quality ink.
“Our ideal ink supplier is a partner who embraces the quick-turn expectations of our clients through their flexibility and responsiveness to our production needs,” said Preston-Cargill. “In order to maintain quality standards and manufacturing efficiencies, Allen Press requires reliable and consistent ink. We pay attention to pigment quality and defined tack to ensure that the ink works every time on our various presses and papers.”
Led by its president Rand Allen, a second-generation member of the family that founded the company, Allen Press specializes in publication printing.
“Our core print business comprises of bound magazines, journals, books and catalogs,” said Maria Preston-Cargill, VP of marketing for Allen Press. “We primarily service scholarly, trade, hobby, community lifestyle and B2B markets.” Founded by Harold Allen in 1935, Allen Press started out as a small commercial print shop serving the local community. Printing a high-quality journal for bird enthusiasts proved to be a key turning point for the company.
“In 1950, Allen Press began printing a scientific journal for the Wilson Ornithological Society called The Wilson Bulletin,” Preston-Cargill said. “This historic partnership served as the catalyst that drove Allen Press to focus its business on printing publications.”
As an example of its quality and long-standing relationships with its customers, Allen Press and Wilson Ornithological Society still are partners today.
Allen Press specializes in offset printing, using heatset web and sheetfed technologies, and also offers digital to produce shorter press runs. Allen Press’ press portfolio includes a Heidelberg M600 6-unit heatset web press, a Harris M200 4-unit heatset web press, a Komori Lithrone S40P 6-unit sheetfed press and a Xerox XC 1000 4-color digital press.
Quality and determination are two of the keys that differentiate Allen Press from other printers.
“Allen Press has always had a tenacious spirit. The company is well known for its service offerings to publishers and award-winning print quality,” Preston-Cargill said. “Our breadth of publication expertise sets us apart from traditional commercial printers.
“In addition to print production, Allen Press also offers a host of services for scholarly publications including peer review, editing, composition and online distribution as well as association management, publishing, advertising sales and marketing communication services. We are located in the Midwest, which is an advantage in managing smart mailing and shipping solutions coast to coast.”
This quality is seen in Allen Press earning a Gold Ink Award for The Mineralogical Record this year. Preston-Cargill said that The Mineralogical Record is a special project.
“The Mineralogical Record is really an amazing publication,” she observed. “The photography is top-notch, so the incredible details of the minerals really come through. Our job is to capture those details through ink on paper.
“Color management is paramount,” Preston-Cargill added. “Allen Press follows G7 best practices from proofs to press sheet to ensure our color is on target. We start working with the customer to produce color proofs before the publication layout is complete so that we can be sure each image matches their vision. Precision is required to create an accurate representation of the minerals as mineralogists often use the publication to assess the quality of the minerals in their own collections.”
To meet these quality requirements, Allen Press relies on its ink manufacturers to provide consistent, high quality ink.
“Our ideal ink supplier is a partner who embraces the quick-turn expectations of our clients through their flexibility and responsiveness to our production needs,” said Preston-Cargill. “In order to maintain quality standards and manufacturing efficiencies, Allen Press requires reliable and consistent ink. We pay attention to pigment quality and defined tack to ensure that the ink works every time on our various presses and papers.”