The Watkins Printing Company

What The Watkins Printing Company does

The Watkins Printing Company is a fifth-generation, family-owned commercial printing, mailing, and digital marketing company headquartered at 1401 East 17th Avenue, Columbus, Ohio. Founded in 1923 by Cyrus D. Watkins, the firm operates from a single production facility serving B2B clients nationwide, with a customer base centered on monthly and quarterly magazine publications for universities, fraternal organizations (currently approximately ten fraternity and sorority titles), niche industry and lifestyle publications, and political direct mail campaigns. Named customers include Delta Gamma, Alpha Epsilon Phi, The Memorial Tournament, and Ohio Schools.

The company's core technology stack is anchored by a fully automated RMGT 9 Series 8-Color Long Perfector offset press with LED-UV curing, installed in May 2021, which supports one-and-done 4-over-4 production with Insta.Color makeready. Production is complemented by an in-house mailing facility that handles direct mail fulfillment without subcontracting, plus digital magazine conversion via HTML5 and native apps, and an internal client portal (AGFA Web Approval) plus WeTransfer for file exchange. The firm runs a GCC/IBT Local 508-M unionized production workforce and is a longtime member of the Fraternity Communications Association (FCA), Fraternity Executives Association (FEA), and North American Interfraternity Conference (NIC).

Commercially, Watkins generates revenue through transaction-fee pricing on print, mail, and digital service jobs, with all quotes issued via an RFP process rather than published rate cards. Go-to-market is sales-led and relationship-driven: management and ownership travel cross-country to meet clients directly, supplemented by the website, LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. The firm holds WBENC Women's Business Enterprise certification (since 2020), which it uses to access corporate and government supplier-diversity procurement. In 2024, Emily Clary Lust became the 100 percent owner, marking the transition from fourth-generation (Tamara Watkins Green, now deceased) to fifth-generation family leadership, with the next generation (the Lust triplets) already positioned within the business.

Name

The Watkins Printing Company

Legal name

The Watkins Printing Company

Website

https://watkinsprinting.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1923

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Watkins Printing Company is a fifth-generation, family-owned commercial printing, mailing, and digital marketing firm in Columbus, Ohio, serving universities, fraternal organizations, niche lifestyle publishers, and political direct mail clients across the United States.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Commercial Printing Services

NAICS

Commercial Printing (except Screen and Books) (323111)

SIC

Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)

akta.pro primary industry

Digital Printing (Short-Run, Variable Data) (MPAJALAC)

Keywords

• Commercial printing services
• Magazine printing and mailing
• Direct mail services
• Digital magazine production
• Offset printing services

Headquarters

HQ city

Columbus

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Printing Services: Commercial printing, magazine printing, direct mail, and digital printing services for B2B clients including universities, fraternal organizations, and niche industry publications
2. Mailing Services: In-house mailing facility providing direct mail and mailing services for publications and commercial print projects
3. Digital Services: Digital magazine conversion and omni-channel marketing technology services

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Watkins Printing Company is a fourth/fifth-generation family-owned printing, mailing, and digital marketing firm that produces monthly and quarterly magazines, commercial print materials, and direct mail campaigns for universities, fraternal organizations, niche industry and lifestyle publications, and political clients across the U.S. Operations are anchored by a fully automated RMGT 9 Series 8-Color LED-UV offset press and an in-house mailing facility that handles printing, finishing, and distribution from a single Columbus, Ohio location.

Product overview

The Watkins Printing Company is a fourth-generation family-owned printing, mailing, and digital marketing company headquartered in Columbus, Ohio. Founded in 1923, the company operates as a single-location commercial print shop offering a portfolio of print production services centered on magazine printing (its historic core competency spanning 100+ years) expanded through technology investment into direct mail, commercial printing, and digital publishing. The product portfolio is organized as a services-based offering rather than a software platform: Core print services include Magazine Printing & Mailing, Direct Mail, and Commercial Printing (posters, brochures), served by specialized vertical practices for Fraternity/Sorority, Collegiate, and Niche Industry/Lifestyle publications. Digital add-on services include Digital Magazines (HTML5/native app delivery) and Watkins Direct Omni-Channel Marketing for cross-channel campaign tracking. Supporting infrastructure includes an internal client portal (AGFA Web Approval) and WeTransfer-based file exchange. The company is WBENC-certified as a Women-Owned Business Enterprise.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Magazine Printing & Mailing Services High-quality magazine printing, finishing, and direct mailing services for niche, collegiate, Greek, industry, hobby, and lifestyle publications, leveraging an in-house mailing facility for end-to-end fulfillment.
• Direct Mail Services Direct mail marketing services for individuals, small businesses, and organizations requiring direct mail campaigns, utilizing the company's in-house mailing facility and LED-UV press technology.
• Commercial Printing Commercial printing services including posters, brochures, and other marketing materials produced using the state-of-the-art LED-UV press with quick turnaround capabilities.
• Political Print & Union Bug Projects Political direct mail and campaign printing services with flexible workflow for tight deadlines and union bug requirements during election cycles, supported by GCC/IBT represented workforce.
• Digital Magazines Digital version creation of publications delivered to readers' devices using HTML5 and native app technologies, enabling broader audience reach alongside printed editions.
• Watkins Direct Omni-Channel Marketing Digital tracking, monitoring, and targeting technology for mailing lists through digital and social channels, allowing clients to repeatedly target customers across multiple marketing channels.
• Fraternity & Sorority Magazine Printing Specialized printing services for fraternity and sorority publications, supported by the company's longtime membership in the Fraternity Communications Association (FCA), Fraternity Executives Association (FEA), and North American Interfraternity Conference (NIC).
• Niche Industry & Lifestyle Magazine Printing Printing services for industry-specific and lifestyle publications covering diverse topics from plumbing to interior design, gardening, music, and hobby interests, accommodating varying run sizes.
• Collegiate Magazine Printing Magazine printing services for university and college communities, offering editors and designers full access to the production facility.

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• WBE (Women's Business Enterprise)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Certified partner of Women's Business Enterprise and Women's Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC) since 2020, expanding access to corporate and government procurement opportunities.
• Graphics Communications Conference/International Brotherhood of TeamsterscoreOthersPlant employees are members of GCC/IBT District 3, Local 508-M, providing skilled workforce for printing operations
• Fraternity Communications Association (FCA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLongtime member of FCA, participating in annual meetings and serving fraternity publication community
• North American Interfraternity Conference (NIC)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegular participant in NIC annual meetings, supporting Greek fraternal community
• Fraternity Executives Association (FEA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegular participant in FEA annual meetings, supporting fraternity executive community

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• AGFA (Agfa-Gevaert): A supplier of prepress, inkjet, and print workflow technology — including the AGFA Web Approval client portal that Watkins uses internally. Included as an adjacent ecosystem participant whose technology underpins commercial printing workflows at shops like Watkins.

Direct peers

• Lane Press: An independent commercial printer in South Burlington, VT focused on magazine, catalog, and publication printing. Comparable because Lane Press targets the same niche periodical and short-to-medium run publication market with a similar mix of offset and digital capabilities.
• Walsworth Publishing: A multi-generational, family-owned commercial printer headquartered in Marceline, MO, specializing in yearbooks, magazines, and other periodicals for schools and organizations. Highly comparable to Watkins on size, niche focus on organizational publications, and family ownership profile.

Broad incumbents

• Cenveo: A broad-based printing and packaging services company providing commercial printing, labels, and envelopes. Overlaps with Watkins on commercial print RFP competition but operates across multiple segments at substantially greater scale.
• AlphaGraphics: A franchised network of independent business centers offering commercial printing, marketing, and mailing services to small and mid-sized businesses. Comparable because AlphaGraphics franchisees serve the same local B2B print-buyer market that Watkins targets through its direct sales motion.
• R.R. Donnelley (RRD): A large publicly traded commercial printer and business services provider offering commercial print, direct mail, and labels at national scale. Overlaps with Watkins on commercial printing and direct mail, but RRD serves much larger enterprise accounts across many sites.
• Quad: A large diversified marketing and print services firm with significant commercial, magazine, and direct mail production capabilities. Comparable because Quad serves the same commercial print and direct-mail RFP market, but at much greater scale and across multiple facilities and geographies.

Regional players

• Harding Poorman Group: A Cincinnati, OH-based commercial printing company serving publishers, retailers, and direct mail clients in the Midwest. Highly comparable in size, regional footprint, and service mix including publication and direct mail production.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/thewatkinsprint
• Facebookfacebook.com/TheWatkinsPrintingCo
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-watkins-printing-company
• Instagraminstagram.com/legendarypmg/?hl=en

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Watkins Printing Company