R. R. Donnelley & Sons Company
Encyclopedia
RR Donnelley is a Fortune 500
company based in Chicago, Illinois, that provides print and related services. Corporate headquarters are located at 111 S. Wacker Drive.
RR Donnelley's cartographic
production facility was for many years one of the largest in the United States
. In the late 1980s, the division was spun off as its own company, Geosystems, which in turn became MapQuest
. It is now a subsidiary of AOL
.
in 2007. In May 2007, RR Donnelley also acquired book and educational materials printer Von Hoffmann (and creative/ pre-press subsidiary Anthology Inc.) from Visant Corporation. An additional purchase at the beginning of 2007 was Perry Judd's Holdings Inc., a private catalog and magazine printer. At the beginning of 2008, RRD also announced the acquisition of Pro Line Printing, Inc. As of 2007, RR Donnelley is the world's largest commercial printer.
In 2007, RR Donnelley was also named as an interested party in an attempt to purchase Quebecor World
. In May 2009, the company tendered an unsolicited bid to purchase Quebecor World.
In July 2008, the company established a multi-year contract with F+W Publications Inc.
, which will allow Donnelley to print a large amount of F + W's book
and magazine
publications. The contract is valued at about $80 million.
In 2010, RR Donnelley announced its proposed acquisition of Bowne & Co.
The Acquisition was completed on November 24, 2010.
In December 2010, RR Donnelley acquired San Francisco-based Nimblefish Technologies.
During the Labor Day weekend in September 2011, RR Donnelly announced it would close its Bloomsburg, Pa., printing plant where Penguin Classics and paperbacks in the best-selling Twilight and Idiot's Guide series are published.
time, by RR Donnelley. This tradition was begun in 1903 by Thomas E. Donnelley, who was then the company president. The basic format of these books has remained essentially the same since inception, as a hardcover, cloth wrapped and gold embossed.
Subject matter tends to cover elements of American history. Many early volumes contained speeches and writings of noted Americans, including Benjamin Franklin
, whose autobiography
was published as the first Lakeside Classic.
Lakeside Classics are never sold and are only made available to RR Donnelley employees, clients, and others associated with the company. The week before Christmas, each employee is given one copy of that year's volume. As such, some of the volumes have become scarce, and are in demand on the collector's market. Antiquarian
bookstores often have a section devoted to Lakeside Classics, and early volumes command large sums from book collectors.
Fortune 500
The Fortune 500 is an annual list compiled and published by Fortune magazine that ranks the top 500 U.S. closely held and public corporations as ranked by their gross revenue after adjustments made by Fortune to exclude the impact of excise taxes companies collect. The list includes publicly and...
company based in Chicago, Illinois, that provides print and related services. Corporate headquarters are located at 111 S. Wacker Drive.
History
The company originally known as R.R. Donnelley & Sons Company, was founded in 1864 by Richard Robert Donnelley. His son, Reuben H. Donnelley, founded the otherwise unrelated company R. H. Donnelley.RR Donnelley's cartographic
Cartography
Cartography is the study and practice of making maps. Combining science, aesthetics, and technique, cartography builds on the premise that reality can be modeled in ways that communicate spatial information effectively.The fundamental problems of traditional cartography are to:*Set the map's...
production facility was for many years one of the largest in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. In the late 1980s, the division was spun off as its own company, Geosystems, which in turn became MapQuest
MapQuest
MapQuest is an American free online web mapping service owned by AOL. The company was founded in 1967 as Cartographic Services, a division of R.R. Donnelley & Sons in Chicago, Illinois, United States. It moved to Lancaster, Pennsylvania in 1969. When it became an independent company in 1994, it was...
. It is now a subsidiary of AOL
AOL
AOL Inc. is an American global Internet services and media company. AOL is headquartered at 770 Broadway in New York. Founded in 1983 as Control Video Corporation, it has franchised its services to companies in several nations around the world or set up international versions of its services...
.
Business acquisitions and mergers
Throughout its history, particularly in the 1990s and 2000s, RR Donnelley purchased a number of other companies outright, steadily increasing in size. In February 2004, RR Donnelley merged with Moore Wallace Inc., keeping the name RR Donnelley as the name of the combined companies. Donnelley went on to purchase OfficeTiger, a major publishing and financial outsourcing company, as well as printing company Banta CorporationBanta Corporation
Banta Corporation was a major printing, imaging, and supply chain management company of the United States, based in Menasha, Wisconsin for all of its 105 years. Founded in 1901, it was acquired by Chicago-based RR Donnelley in late 2006.-History:...
in 2007. In May 2007, RR Donnelley also acquired book and educational materials printer Von Hoffmann (and creative/ pre-press subsidiary Anthology Inc.) from Visant Corporation. An additional purchase at the beginning of 2007 was Perry Judd's Holdings Inc., a private catalog and magazine printer. At the beginning of 2008, RRD also announced the acquisition of Pro Line Printing, Inc. As of 2007, RR Donnelley is the world's largest commercial printer.
In 2007, RR Donnelley was also named as an interested party in an attempt to purchase Quebecor World
Quebecor World
Quebecor World Inc. was a printing subsidiary of Quebecor Inc. based in Montreal, Quebec. It comprised a number of small and large print shops throughout the world. In 2010, Quebecor World was acquired by Wisconsin-based Quad/Graphics....
. In May 2009, the company tendered an unsolicited bid to purchase Quebecor World.
In July 2008, the company established a multi-year contract with F+W Publications Inc.
F+W Publications Inc.
F+W Media Inc., formerly F+W Publications Inc., is a publishing company headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio.Founded in 1913, F+W publishes magazines, books, and digital products, and owns and operates consumer and trade shows....
, which will allow Donnelley to print a large amount of F + W's book
Book
A book is a set or collection of written, printed, illustrated, or blank sheets, made of hot lava, paper, parchment, or other materials, usually fastened together to hinge at one side. A single sheet within a book is called a leaf or leaflet, and each side of a leaf is called a page...
and magazine
Magazine
Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...
publications. The contract is valued at about $80 million.
In 2010, RR Donnelley announced its proposed acquisition of Bowne & Co.
Bowne & Co.
Bowne & Co., Inc. was an American company originating in 1775 by Robert Bowne. It provided financial, marketing and business communications services around the world.RR Donnelley acquired Bowne in 2010.-External links:* * * * *...
The Acquisition was completed on November 24, 2010.
In December 2010, RR Donnelley acquired San Francisco-based Nimblefish Technologies.
During the Labor Day weekend in September 2011, RR Donnelly announced it would close its Bloomsburg, Pa., printing plant where Penguin Classics and paperbacks in the best-selling Twilight and Idiot's Guide series are published.
Lakeside Classics
The Lakeside Classics is a series of books printed annually, at ChristmasChristmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
time, by RR Donnelley. This tradition was begun in 1903 by Thomas E. Donnelley, who was then the company president. The basic format of these books has remained essentially the same since inception, as a hardcover, cloth wrapped and gold embossed.
Subject matter tends to cover elements of American history. Many early volumes contained speeches and writings of noted Americans, including Benjamin Franklin
Benjamin Franklin
Dr. Benjamin Franklin was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. A noted polymath, Franklin was a leading author, printer, political theorist, politician, postmaster, scientist, musician, inventor, satirist, civic activist, statesman, and diplomat...
, whose autobiography
Autobiography
An autobiography is a book about the life of a person, written by that person.-Origin of the term:...
was published as the first Lakeside Classic.
Lakeside Classics are never sold and are only made available to RR Donnelley employees, clients, and others associated with the company. The week before Christmas, each employee is given one copy of that year's volume. As such, some of the volumes have become scarce, and are in demand on the collector's market. Antiquarian
Antiquarian
An antiquarian or antiquary is an aficionado or student of antiquities or things of the past. More specifically, the term is used for those who study history with particular attention to ancient objects of art or science, archaeological and historic sites, or historic archives and manuscripts...
bookstores often have a section devoted to Lakeside Classics, and early volumes command large sums from book collectors.