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John Mayes works the four-tone press at Toledo Printing Inc. on East State Line Road.
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Printing firm excels without fanfare

Wadsworth / Blade

Printing firm excels without fanfare

A thin book recounting the highlights of Toledo's history is just one of thousands of books and pamphlets produced by Toledo Printing Inc. since 1902.

Still, company President Derek Leck is proud of the 100-page Historical Tales of Toledo, which was done for the Toledo Rotary Club to which he belongs.

"They wanted it in time for the holidays," recalled Mr. Leck, 37. "Our deadline was extremely tight. But we accomplished it." As a result, a respectable 4,000 copies of the work, by local historian and Rotary member Clint Mauk, were sold - many of them for Christmas gifts.

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Toledo Printing, 367 East State Line Rd., has been around forever but has mostly plied its trade in obscurity.

Like many printers, it has struggled with modern realities. "The biggest challenge facing any printer today is how rapidly technology changes and the expense of keeping up with it," Mr. Leck said.

Partly as a result, many printers have merged with one another and with supporting specialties such as mass mailers and firms that once limited themselves to performing pre-production work for printers, he explained.

The present-day Toledo Printing is the result of serial marriages involving a number of long-time Toledo firms.

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Originally known as Toledo Typesetting Co., it was founded 103 years ago in downtown Toledo by E.J. Tippett, Sr. It remained in his family until 1964.

That year, Mr. Leck's father, Donald Leck, Sr., a printing industry veteran, along with partners William Cohn and Thurman Condon, combined it with their Engrav-O Printing Co.

In 1979, Toledo Printing merged with another well-known printer, Buettner Toledo Inc. For a while, the firm was known as Buettner-Toledo but reverted to the Toledo Printing name seven years ago.

One other acquisition, Wayne Graphics, in the 1990s contributed to making the company what it is today.

Company letterhead, envelopes, business cards, invitations, newsletters, business forms, and posters remain a big part of the business of the commercial offset printer.

At Christmas, the firm fills orders for personalized Christmas cards from corporate clients.

Multi-colored postcards have become a way for firms to advertise products and services, Mr. Leck noted.

"They are popular right now because mailing can be costly but postcards are inexpensive," he explained. "Plus, people get so much stuff across their desks that advertisers are lucky if the envelope is opened."

Because Toledo Printing is one of the few remaining unionized printers locally, it gets a good chunk of business from labor organizations as well as community groups with which they work.

The firm has 15 employees. Hourly workers are represented by Graphic Communications International Union Locals 55c and 2289.

Mr. Leck estimates that 2005 sales will be about $1.7 million.

Being a printer, the firm has over the years distributed promotional items during the holidays that have proven popular with customers. Requests start arriving early for specialized wrapping paper, which features a Christmas motif on brown craft paper designed to create an antique look. Additionally, many customers have cut out and framed Toledo scenes by local watercolor artist Clarence Shields from calendars that Toledo Printing distributed for a number of years.

Marketing executive Carleen Cincala first worked with Toledo Printing more than two decades ago. Like many professionals in that industry, she has changed agencies over the years and today operates her own firm, Strategic Design and Communications Planning. Throughout her career, however, she has continued to use Toledo Printing. "Time is of the essence in my business, and I can count on them," she said. "They're very customer-service driven. In this business, that's what separates the men from the boys."

Mel Russell, who provides pre-printing services to the firm, describes Mr. Leck and other staff members as easy-to-work with and good at meeting commitments. "I work with them on a daily basis," said Mr. Russell, of M. Russell & Associates, Toledo. "Before Derek, I worked with his father."

Small Business Profile is a weekly feature on local companies. To be considered, send information about your company to Small Business Profiles, Business News, The Blade, P.O. Box 921, Toledo, Ohio 43697-0921.

Contact Gary Pakulski at: gpakulski@theblade.com or 419-724-6082.

First Published February 7, 2005, 12:47 p.m.

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John Mayes works the four-tone press at Toledo Printing Inc. on East State Line Road.  (Wadsworth / Blade)
Wadsworth / Blade
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