CPI Books Deutschland

What CPI Books Deutschland does

CPI Books Deutschland is a privately-held German printing group specializing in book production, operating as the German cluster of the wider CPI Group. The company is structured around five wholly-owned subsidiaries (CPI Books GmbH and CPI Clausen & Bosse in Leck; CPI Ebner & Spiegel in Ulm; CPI Moravia Books in Pohorelice, Czech Republic; and CPI Druckdienstleistungen in Erfurt, plus Ulmer Buch-Service). Its core offerings span hardcover, softcover, paperback and specialty bindings, alongside catalogs, manuals, and an annual run of approximately 10 million calendars and planners; it also provides e-book conversion and distribution to over 70 platforms, automated warehouse management, print-on-demand, and data-submission tools.

Production combines sheet-fed and roll-fed offset printing (including the KBA COMPACTA 408 roll-fed press with imprinter function at Leck) with HP-derived QUANTUM and QUANTUM Colour inkjet technology developed jointly with HP. Three facilities (Leck, Ulm, Pohorelice) hold ISO 12647 ProcessStandard Offsetdruck (PSO) certification, supporting qualified colour management and norm-compliant print simulations as a quality differentiator.

CPI sells primarily through a sales-led, direct-relationship model augmented by self-service platforms: the Highway platform orchestrates order management and real-time production tracking across all CPI Group facilities in Europe; CPI Direct provides automated quotes and file uploads for smaller publishers; and dedicated account managers serve enterprise customers such as Random House. Pricing is quote-based per project, ex-works, with prices tied to specifications, run length, binding, and materials, and includes pass-through clauses for energy, paper, ink, and transport cost changes. Customer segments are verticalised into trade book publishers (primary), academic and professional publishers, calendar and planner publishers, and educational/governmental institutions.

Name

CPI Books Deutschland

Legal name

CPI Books GmbH

Website

https://cpi-print.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1817

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

CPI Books Deutschland is the German cluster of CPI Group, operating five wholly-owned printing facilities that produce books, catalogs, and calendars for trade, academic, calendar, and educational publishers across Europe via offset and inkjet technology.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Book Printing Services

NAICS

Books Printing (323117)

SIC

Book Printing (2732)

akta.pro primary industry

Genre & Category Publishing (Romance, Mystery/Thriller, Sci‑Fi/Fantasy, etc.) (MPAJAAAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Hardcover & Premium Editions Publishing (MPAJAAAE)

Keywords

• Book printing services
• Offset printing
• Inkjet printing
• Print on demand
• E-book conversion

Headquarters

HQ city

Leck

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Print Manufacturing Services: Core revenue from offset and inkjet printing services for books, catalogs, calendars and planners. Services include sheet-fed and roll-fed printing with various binding options (hardcover, softcover, perfect binding, PUR gluing).
2. Print on Demand (PoD): On-demand printing services for smaller runs, enabling publishers to print quantities as needed rather than large upfront print runs.
3. E-book Conversion and Distribution: Conversion of print materials to e-book formats. Services include data delivery to over 70 platforms. Handles complex projects with large backlists for publishers.
4. Warehouse and Logistics Management: Automated inventory management and distribution services for publishers. Includes automated storage and fulfillment capabilities.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

CPI Books Deutschland is a specialist book printing company that produces hardcover, softcover, paperback books, catalogs, manuals, and calendars/planners for publishers and educational institutions across European production facilities. The company uses offset (sheet-fed and roll-fed/rotary) and inkjet (QUANTUM) printing technologies, complemented by binding, finishing, e-book conversion, automated warehouse management, and print-on-demand services managed through its Highway platform.

Product overview

CPI Books Deutschland is a printing company consisting of multiple production facilities (CPI Clausen & Bosse in Leck, CPI Ebner & Spiegel in Ulm, CPI Moravia Books in Czech Republic, and CPI buchbücher.de in Birkach). The core product offerings center on book production (hardcover, softcover, paperback), catalogs & manuals, and calendars & planners. These are supported by a modular service architecture including Highway (order management platform), Onlineportal (custom ordering platforms), Global Print Solutions, automated warehouse management, e-book conversion services, data submission tools including a spine width calculator, print-on-demand, zero inventory solutions, and finishing services. The company also operates an R&D innovation lab for developing new printing solutions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Highway: Online platform for managing orders with real-time production tracking and direct exchange with all CPI printing facilities across Europe
• CPI Direct
• Global Print Solutions
• Quantum

Products and services

• Books (Bücher) Production of hardcover, softcover, Integra, Klappenbroschur (jacket paperback), and Taschenbuch (paperback) books with customized finishing options for trade publishers across run sizes from several hundred thousand copies to print-on-demand volumes.
• Catalogs & Manuals (Kataloge & Handbücher) High-quality catalogs and manuals produced with modern printing machines, with optional pan-European delivery for trade publishers and industry customers.
• Calendars & Planners (Kalender & Terminplaner) Annual production of 10 million planners and calendars in various formats, typically printed in black/white or two-color, with standard perforation, dispersion or PUR glue binding, and individualized finishing options.
• Highway Order Management Platform Online platform for managing print orders with real-time production tracking and direct exchange with all CPI printing facilities across Europe. Used by publishers to monitor multi-site production.
• Custom Online Portals (Onlineportal) Tailored online ordering platforms designed by CPI teams and IT experts, enabling customers to place orders, automatically transfer and test files, and generate cost estimates themselves.
• Global Print Solutions International print and distribution service enabling cost-effective worldwide access to printed books, addressing digital-era distribution challenges for publishers.
• Automated Warehouse Management (Automatisiertes Lagermanagement) Automated inventory management and fulfillment services for publishers, addressing the growing complexity and cost of warehousing large backlists and many small-batch titles.
• E-Book Conversion and Distribution E-book conversion services transforming print materials into various e-book formats (XML, EBOOK, SGML, EPUB) for delivery to over 70 platforms, handling complex projects with large backlists for publishers and retailers.
• Print on Demand (PoD) On-demand book printing service enabling publishers to print quantities as needed rather than committing to large upfront print runs, supporting small-batch and backlist titles cost-effectively.

Quantifiable outcome

• 10 million calendars and planners produced annually
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• HP (Hewlett-Packard)coreTechnology or IntegrationHP is the technology partner for QUANTUM inkjet printing technology. Random House (a CPI customer) notes that 'the colleagues in Leck have decisively advanced the technology together with HP.' HP provides the inkjet printheads and technology underlying the QUANTUM and QUANTUM Colour printing systems used for book production.
• KBA (Koenig & Bauer)coreTechnology or IntegrationKBA manufactures the COMPACTA 2 printing press (KBA Compacta 408 with book folding apparatus KBA CS2-900) used at CPI's Leck facility. This roll-fed offset press with imprinter function is a key piece of production equipment.
• FKC-Consult GmbHminorOthersExternal data protection officer (Datenschutzbeauftragter) for CPI Books GmbH. Located in Lübeck with office at Eschenburgstrasse 5, 23568 Lübeck.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Versa Press: US-based book printing specialist serving independent and trade publishers with hardcover, softcover, and digital printing. Comparable to CPI in book printing technology mix and publisher customer focus, though serving North American markets.
• Kösel GmbH & Co. KG: Long-established German book printer and bookbinder (Altusried-Krugzell) producing hardcover, softcover, and specialty bindings for publishers. Comparable to CPI in technology mix and core publisher customer base.
• Lightning Source (Ingram Content Group): Global print-on-demand and short-run digital book printing leader, part of Ingram. Directly comparable to CPI's QUANTUM-driven short-run and PoD offering, though with a larger global footprint and stronger digital distribution.
• Optimal Media GmbH: German book printing specialist serving trade and academic publishers with offset and digital printing capabilities. Directly comparable to CPI Books Deutschland as a European book manufacturer offering similar binding, finishing, and short-run economics.

Regional players

• Friesens Corporation: North American book printing specialist producing hardcover and softcover books with offset and digital capabilities. Comparable to CPI in book manufacturing technology mix and publisher customer base, though primarily serving North American markets.
• Gruppo Rotolito Lombarda: Italian book and magazine printing group with significant European publisher customers. Comparable to CPI in book manufacturing capabilities and publisher relationships, though primarily serving Southern European markets.

Broad incumbents

• Toppan Holdings: Large Japanese printing and information communications group with significant book printing operations and security printing. Comparable in scale of print manufacturing and publisher services but operates across a much broader portfolio beyond books.
• Bertelsmann Printing Group (Mohn Media): Vertically integrated printing arm of Bertelsmann, one of Europe's largest book producers. Comparable to CPI in book printing services but operates at significantly larger scale and as part of a publisher (Penguin Random House parent), creating a potential customer/supplier overlap with CPI.
• Quad/Graphics: Large US-based commercial printing and marketing services provider with book manufacturing capabilities. Comparable in scale of print operations and publisher customer base, though books represent one segment of a broader portfolio.
• Transcontinental Inc. Canadian-based printing and packaging group with book printing operations serving North American publishers. Comparable in serving publisher customers with offset and digital capabilities, though primarily North American in focus.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cpi-print-books-deutschland/mycompany
• Xx.com/cpigroup_

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries5 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 CPI Books Deutschland