Solisco
Solisco is a Canadian commercial printing company founded in 1991, offering offset and digital printing, packaging, direct mail distribution, and in-house content/design services to enterprise customers across publishing, retail, tourism, and hospitality primarily in Quebec and the US.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1991
- HeadquartersScott, Canada
- Headcount251–500
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Solisco does
Solisco (legal name Imprimerie Solisco Inc.) is a privately held Canadian commercial printing company founded in 1991 in Scott, Quebec, operating approximately 400 employees across three production facilities in Scott, Saint-Jules, and Quebec City. The company provides integrated print services spanning offset printing (sheet-fed and web), digital and large-format printing (via the December 2024 acquisition of Groupe ETR, which contributed 235,000 copies/day of digital capacity), sustainable packaging and ecodesign, and direct mail and cross-border distribution. Supporting the print business is Maison 1608, an in-house creative agency since 2016 that supplies bilingual brand content, graphic design, and content marketing, plus the PrintReleaf reforestation program (Solisco is the first Canadian partner) and Kodak InSite prepress portal.
The company's revenue model is transaction-fee based with quote-driven pricing and no public rate cards; it sells primarily to enterprise customers in publishing/media (Davler Media Group), retail and consumer brands (Lush, Oberson, Canadel), tourism and hospitality (Destination Québec cité, Groupe Germain Hotels), and marketing/advertising agencies. Go-to-market is sales-led with dedicated field representatives including a US-based rep, layered on exclusive partnerships with Canada Post (Expert Mailing Marketing Partner for Smartmail) and CTPAT certification for streamlined US customs. Solisco differentiates on vertical integration (content-to-distribution under one roof), environmental leadership (FSC at ~70% of paper usage, PEFC pioneer, vegetable-based inks, Sustana de-inking circular partnership), and equipment scale (first-in-Canada Heidelberg Speedmaster CX 104 with CutStar roll sheeter).
The business is privately held with no institutional investor disclosed beyond a 2012 Fondaction investment, and the broader commercial printing industry faces secular pressure from digital substitution. Recent strategy is clearly consolidation-oriented, with M&A and capital expenditure (Norecob 2019, Heidelberg CX 104 in 2023, Groupe ETR in 2024) extending capacity, product surface, and geographic reach rather than purely organic build-out.
Solisco firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Solisco
- Legal name
- Imprimerie Solisco Inc.
- Website
- https://solisco.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1991
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 251–500 employees
- Short description
- Solisco is a Canadian commercial printing company founded in 1991, offering offset and digital printing, packaging, direct mail distribution, and in-house content/design services to enterprise customers across publishing, retail, tourism, and hospitality primarily in Quebec and the US.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Solisco industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Commercial Printing Services
- NAICS
- Commercial Printing (except Screen and Books) (323111), Direct Mail Advertising (541860), Folding Paperboard Box Manufacturing (322212), Converted Paper Product Manufacturing (3222)
- SIC
- Commercial Printing (2750), Services-Direct Mail Advertising Services (7331), Converted Paper & Paperboard Prods (No Contaners/Boxes) (2670)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Commercial & Offset Printing (Sheetfed/Web) (MPAJALAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Folding Carton & Paperboard Packaging Printing (IMALAKAH), Flexible Packaging Printing & Decoration (Flexo, Gravure, Digital, Cold Foil) (IMALABAM), Folding Cartons & Paperboard Packaging Converting (IMAMAHAB)
Keywords
Where Solisco is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Scott
- HQ country
- Canada
- HQ region
- North America
Offices4 records
Markets served
Solisco business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Printing Services: Core revenue from offset printing (web and sheet-fed), digital printing, and large format printing services. Services include prepress, varnishes, binding, color management, and quality control.
- Content and Design (Maison 1608): In-house creative agency providing brand content, graphic design, strategy, and content marketing services. 15 years of publishing expertise.
- Mailing and Distribution: Direct mail, logistics, and postal services as Canada Post Smartmail Marketing partner. Includes targeted mailing, list building, and cross-border distribution (Canada Post, USPS).
- Sustainable Packaging and Ecodesign: Ecodesign services for cardboard packaging and boxes. Plastic-free, 100% recyclable materials. New service targeting eco-conscious brands.
- PrintReleaf Reforestation Program: Paper footprint neutralization through reforestation. Trees planted based on paper consumption (8,333 sheets = 1 tree equivalent).
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Custom quote-based pricing tailored to project requirements |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels6 records
Marketing channels8 records
Solisco product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Solisco is a vertically integrated commercial printing company offering offset printing (sheet-fed and web), digital printing, and large-format printing through its ETR division, along with sustainable packaging, direct mail and distribution services, and in-house brand content and design via subsidiary Maison 1608. The company delivers turnkey print solutions from creative ideation through production, finishing, and mailing/distribution for enterprise customers across Canada and the United States.
Product overview
Solisco operates as a comprehensive printing services provider offering both traditional offset printing and digital/large-format printing through its recently acquired ETR division. The core offerings include sheet-fed and web printing, digital printing (up to 235,000 copies/day), large-format printing (7-12 colors), packaging with ecodesign, and direct mail services. Supporting these print services are two key internal capabilities: Maison 1608 (in-house creative agency for content and design since 2016) and the PrintReleaf reforestation program for environmental sustainability. The company also offers the Kodak InSite Prepress portal for customer self-service file management. Solisco serves clients across Canada and the United States from facilities in Scott, Saint-Jules, and Québec City.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Maison 1608: In-house creative agency providing brand content creation, graphic design, strategy, and content marketing services with 15 years of experience.
- Groupe ETR
- Colab
Products and services
- Sheet-Fed and Web Offset Printing
- Digital and Large-Format Printing (ETR Division)
- Packaging and Ecodesign
Quantifiable outcome
- 98% hassle-free customs clearances for US shipments
- +5 more outcomes
Companies that use Solisco
Customer profileNamed customers7 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
Solisco technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration2 records
Feature5 records
Solisco partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Groupe ETRcoreAcquired December 2024. Renowned Quebec City printer specializing in digital and large-format printing. Over 30 years of expertise. Expands Solisco's service offering to include digital printing (235,000 copies/day), large format (7-12 colors), signage, and installation. One-stop shop for targeted and large-scale projects.
- NorecobminorAcquired August 2019. Company based in Scott, Beauce region. Expanded production capacity.
- PrintReleafcoreInternational reforestation program ensuring paper footprint neutralization. Solisco is the first Canadian partner. For every quantity of paper consumed, equivalent trees are planted through PrintReleaf certified reforestation projects globally. Customers receive dashboard access to track their environmental impact.
- Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)coreGlobal forest certification organization. Solisco certified compliant with FSC environmental and social standards. Provides paper traceability from forest to final product.
- Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC)coreInternational forest certification system. Solisco became pioneer in Canada's print and paper industry by joining PEFC.
- Canada Post Smartmail MarketingcoreExclusive Expert Mailing Marketing Partner. Provides direct mail strategy, market analysis, customer list building, and complete mailing preparation. Enables targeted, personalized direct mail campaigns with microtargeting and segmentation capabilities.
- Sustana Group (Rolland)corePaper supplier providing Rolland Enviro 100 paper - 100% Quebec made, 100% recycled. De-inking facility partnership enables circular economy; Sustana's mill recycles paper up to 7 times and reuses water up to 30 times. Paper scraps and surplus returned for fiber recovery.
- HeidelbergcoreEquipment manufacturer supplying Speedmaster CX 104 printing press with CutStar roll sheeter - first in Canada. Technology partnership enabling doubled sheet printing capacity.
- U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CTPAT)coreSecurity certification program enabling streamlined US customs clearances. CTPAT certification provides 98% hassle-free customs for cross-border shipments. One of 11,400 certified companies worldwide.
- United States Postal Service (USPS)minorUS postal service partnership for American market delivery via drop-shipping. Complements CTPAT certification for cross-border shipments.
Scale indicators14 records
Recent moves9 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Solisco competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Met Litho / Met Printing: Toronto-based commercial offset and digital printer serving Canadian and US clients with magazine, catalog, and direct mail work; competes in the same enterprise publishing segment as Solisco.
- Lowe-Martin Group: One of Canada's largest privately held commercial printers, offering offset, digital, and large-format print solutions with mail and fulfillment services. Highly comparable to Solisco in scale, services mix, and Canadian market focus.
- Flash Reproductions: Canadian commercial printer offering offset, digital, and large-format printing plus direct mail and fulfillment — a regional Canadian peer with a similar turnkey services approach to Solisco.
- Webcom Inc. Canadian book, catalog, and magazine printer with significant offset capacity and an emphasis on publisher and enterprise print work — a comparable mid-to-large Canadian printing peer to Solisco.
- Marquis Bookprinting (TC Imprimerie Marquis): A leading Canadian book and publication printer (now part of TC Transcontinental's printing segment), with offset and digital capabilities serving publishers and enterprise brands — directly comparable to Solisco's offset and magazine printing work.
- Mitchell Press Limited: Western Canadian commercial printer with offset and digital capabilities serving magazines, catalogs, and corporate communications; another mid-large Canadian printer with similar product overlap to Solisco.
Broad incumbents
- Cimpress / Vistaprint: Global mass-customization printing platform serving micro-businesses and consumers; a much larger incumbent competing for the same underlying print demand, but via a self-service digital model rather than Solisco's high-touch sales-led model.
- Quad/Graphics: Major North American commercial printer serving retailers, publishers, and direct marketers with offset, digital, and integrated marketing services; a broad incumbent with overlapping capabilities to Solisco, especially in catalogs and direct mail.
- Transcontinental Inc. (TC): Canada's largest printing and packaging conglomerate with offset, digital, flexible packaging, and direct mail operations across North America; competes broadly with Solisco but at much greater scale and breadth.
Regional players
- Hemmingsen Printing / Hemmingsen Group: Western Canada-based commercial and packaging printer offering offset, digital, and packaging with sustainability credentials; comparable services mix to Solisco but operating primarily in a different Canadian geography.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Solisco social profiles
Digital presenceSolisco compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance4 records
Solisco financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Solisco leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles7 records
Solisco subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries4 records
Solisco funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Solisco M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Solisco
What does Solisco do?
Solisco is a vertically integrated commercial printing company offering offset printing (sheet-fed and web), digital printing, and large-format printing through its ETR division, along with sustainable packaging, direct mail and distribution services, and in-house brand content and design via subsidiary Maison 1608. The company delivers turnkey print solutions from creative ideation through production, finishing, and mailing/distribution for enterprise customers across Canada and the United States.
Is Solisco a public or private company?
Solisco is a private company. It is classified as management employee owned and is currently operating.
When was Solisco founded?
Solisco was founded in 1991. It employs 251 to 500 people.
Where is Solisco based?
Solisco is headquartered in Scott, Canada, in the North America region.
How does Solisco make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Printing Services are the primary driver. The others are content and Design (Maison 1608), mailing and Distribution, sustainable Packaging and Ecodesign and printReleaf Reforestation Program.
Who are Solisco's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Met Litho / Met Printing, Lowe-Martin Group, Flash Reproductions, Webcom Inc., Marquis Bookprinting (TC Imprimerie Marquis) and Mitchell Press Limited. Broad incumbents are Cimpress / Vistaprint, Quad/Graphics and Transcontinental Inc. (TC). Hemmingsen Printing / Hemmingsen Group is listed as a regional player.
Does Solisco have an API?
No public API is recorded for Solisco.
What industry is Solisco in?
Solisco's product category is Commercial Printing Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAJALAB, Commercial & Offset Printing (Sheetfed/Web), with a secondary code of IMALAKAH, Folding Carton & Paperboard Packaging Printing. Its NAICS code is 323111 and its SIC code is 2750.