Transformation and Rebirth in the Printing Industry
LSC Communications, the spin-off from RR Donnelley, has embarked on an acquisition campaign that appears to herald the fundamental transformation of LSC Communications less than a year after RR Donnelley split into three publicly traded companies. Arguably the more traditional of the three now separate companies, LSC Communications primarily prints magazines, catalogs, books, directories and retail inserts. Even its chosen name, LSC Communications ("LSC"), derives from The Lakeside Classics, the annual Christmas time publication and production of unique hardcover case-bound books. The first edition, published in 1903, was the Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin, followed in 1904 by a reprint of all the Presidential inaugural addresses from Washington to Lincoln, and in 1905 all those up to Teddy Roosevelt's. Published every year since, future topics focused on American history and first-person narratives. The books were never sold, only given to employees, customers and friends of the company. The highly collectible books were printed and bound, with simple cloth covers and gold leaf stamping, in the Lakeside Press building in Chicago, hence The Lakeside Classics. From this history-steeped tradition, LSC Communications was launched in 2016 and now begins anew to transform itself. Click Read More below for more of the story.