Modern Litho
Modern Litho is a privately held, Jefferson City-based commercial printing company operating four Missouri facilities, offering offset, digital, wide format, direct mail, packaging, and fulfillment services to enterprise and mid-market customers across roughly 15 industry verticals nationwide.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1940
- HeadquartersJefferson City, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Modern Litho does
Modern Litho is a privately held commercial printing company headquartered in Jefferson City, Missouri, operating four production facilities across the state (Jefferson City, St. Louis, North Kansas City, and Columbia). Founded in 1937 and active for more than 80 years, the company provides end-to-end print production services spanning offset, digital, and inkjet printing; wide format signage and display graphics; magazine, catalog, and publication production; direct mail (including its DIRECTMAIL PRO data-driven marketing service); custom packaging; creative and prepress services; and integrated mailing, commingling, fulfillment, and logistics. It holds FSC and SFI sustainability certifications and uses 71% bio-renewable ink and wind-power commitments as environmental differentiators.
The company serves a broad mix of enterprise and mid-market customers across roughly 15 industry verticals — including publishing, marketing and advertising, banking/insurance/finance, agriculture, healthcare, government, elections, associations/nonprofits, hospitality, education, automotive, and religion — and reports serving clients in all 50 U.S. states despite a Midwest regional production footprint. Go-to-market is sales-led, with dedicated sales representatives at each of its four plants managing enterprise relationships, supplemented by a web-to-print portal for SMB self-service quoting and ordering. Pricing is project-based and quote-driven, varying by paper stock, ink, coating, bindery, and finishing specifications.
Modern Litho has pursued an acquisition-led regional consolidation strategy, beginning with its 2013 expansion into St. Louis and continuing with the acquisition of Watkins Lithographic's commercial printing division in North Kansas City in 2021, and the back-to-back acquisitions of Mpress of Kansas City and James Printing of North Kansas City in November 2025. The company is led by President Jeff Davidson and COO Jim Tomblinson, with a reported revenue of approximately $67 million in 2025 (per third-party industry data).
Modern Litho firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Modern Litho
- Legal name
- Modern Litho
- Website
- https://modernlitho.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1940
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Modern Litho is a privately held, Jefferson City-based commercial printing company operating four Missouri facilities, offering offset, digital, wide format, direct mail, packaging, and fulfillment services to enterprise and mid-market customers across roughly 15 industry verticals nationwide.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Modern Litho industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Commercial Printing Services
- NAICS
- Commercial Printing (except Screen and Books) (323111), Printing and Related Support Activities (3231)
- SIC
- Commercial Printing (2750), Services-Direct Mail Advertising Services (7331)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Finishing & Post-Press Services (Cutting, Folding, Collating, Laminating, Foil, Emboss) (MPAJALAF)
Keywords
Where Modern Litho is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Jefferson City
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices5 records
Markets served
Modern Litho business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Commercial Printing Services: Full-service printing including magazines, publications, direct mail, catalogs, wide format, signage, banners, packaging, and custom printing solutions
- Mailing and Fulfillment Services: Mailing, commingling, fulfillment, and logistics services bundled with print products
- Creative Services: Creative ideation and design services offered alongside print production
- Election Specialty Products: Specialized printing services for election materials including ballots and political marketing
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Custom quote-based pricing |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
Modern Litho product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Modern Litho is a full-service commercial printing company that produces magazines, publications, catalogs, direct mail, wide format signage, banners, custom packaging, and election specialty materials. It also offers integrated mailing, commingling, fulfillment, logistics, creative design, and bindery/specialty finishing services across four Missouri production facilities.
Product overview
Modern Litho is a full-service commercial printing company offering a comprehensive portfolio of print and marketing services. The company operates as a unified service provider rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture. Its core product categories include magazine and publication production, general commercial printing, digital and inkjet printing, wide format and display graphics, direct mail solutions (including the DIRECTMAIL PRO service), election specialty products, custom packaging, creative services, and mailing/fulfillment/logistics. The company also offers web-to-print solutions and bindery/specialty finishing services. All products are delivered through the company's production facilities located in Jefferson City (headquarters), St. Louis, Kansas City, and Columbia, Missouri. Recent acquisitions of Watkins Lithographic (2021), James Printing (2025), and Mpress of Kansas City (2025) have expanded its production capacity and service offerings in the Midwest region.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Magazine and Publication Production
Quantifiable outcome
- 71% bio-renewable ink usage across operations
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Modern Litho
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments8 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Modern Litho technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Modern Litho partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered acquisition.
- James Printing of North Kansas CityacquisitionAcquired James Printing of North Kansas City as part of expansion strategy into the Midwest market. The deal enhances the company's print services and supports growth since 2013 expansion into St. Louis.
- Mpress of Kansas CityacquisitionAcquired Mpress of Kansas City on November 1, 2025, expanding regional presence and service offerings in large format printing, finishing, fulfillment, and creative solutions. Strengthens Modern Litho's position in Kansas City market and enhances service lineup for Midwest customers.
- Watkins Lithographic (Commercial Printing Division)acquisitionAcquired the commercial printing division of Watkins Lithographic in North Kansas City, Missouri, effective August 1, 2021. The acquisition expanded Modern Litho's production capacity and service offerings in the Kansas City region, with a move to a new facility in North Kansas City.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Modern Litho competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Walsworth Publishing: Missouri-headquartered printing and publishing company with commercial print, magazine, and direct mail capabilities. Geographic and product overlap with Modern Litho makes it one of the most comparable regional peers.
- The Vomela Companies: Multi-site commercial printer specializing in print, signage, graphics, and fulfillment for retail and brand clients. Comparable service breadth and acquisition-driven growth model.
- Drummond Printing: Midwest-based commercial printer named as a direct revenue comparison for Modern Litho in third-party industry reports. Operates overlapping commercial print, direct mail, and fulfillment services targeting similar enterprise and mid-market customers.
Broad incumbents
- Cenveo: Large-scale commercial printer offering direct mail, packaging, labels, and commercial print. Operates as a broad incumbent whose direct mail and commercial printing capabilities compete with Modern Litho for enterprise customers.
- AlphaGraphics: National printing and marketing services franchise network providing commercial print, direct mail, and signage. Broad incumbent with national footprint competing for SMB and mid-market customers in Modern Litho's geographies.
- Taylor Corporation: Diversified printing and personalization company with commercial print, direct mail, signage, and digital services. A broad incumbent competing with Modern Litho across multiple product lines including fulfillment and personalization.
- LSC Communications: Major U.S. printer focused on magazines, catalogs, books, and direct mail. A broad incumbent competing with Modern Litho for publishing and direct mail clients across all 50 states.
- Quad/Graphics: One of the largest commercial printers in North America, offering magazines, catalogs, direct mail, packaging, and marketing services. Broad incumbent whose retail, publishing, and direct mail offerings overlap Modern Litho's portfolio at much larger scale.
Emerging players
- 4over: Web-to-print platform offering commercial printing, large format, and finishing through online ordering. Represents the digital-first model Modern Litho's web-to-print portal competes against, particularly for SMB and self-serve buyers.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Modern Litho social profiles
Digital presenceModern Litho compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance10 records
Modern Litho financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Modern Litho leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles8 records
Modern Litho subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries3 records
Modern Litho funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Modern Litho M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A3 records
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Modern Litho
What does Modern Litho do?
Modern Litho is a full-service commercial printing company that produces magazines, publications, catalogs, direct mail, wide format signage, banners, custom packaging, and election specialty materials. It also offers integrated mailing, commingling, fulfillment, logistics, creative design, and bindery/specialty finishing services across four Missouri production facilities.
Is Modern Litho a public or private company?
Modern Litho is a private company. It is classified as unknown and is currently operating.
When was Modern Litho founded?
Modern Litho was founded in 1940. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Modern Litho based?
Modern Litho is headquartered in Jefferson City, United States, in the North America region.
How does Modern Litho make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Commercial Printing Services are the primary driver. The others are mailing and Fulfillment Services, creative Services and election Specialty Products.
Who are Modern Litho's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Walsworth Publishing, The Vomela Companies and Drummond Printing. Broad incumbents are Cenveo, AlphaGraphics, Taylor Corporation, LSC Communications and Quad/Graphics. 4over is listed as an emerging player.
Does Modern Litho have an API?
No public API is recorded for Modern Litho.
What industry is Modern Litho in?
Modern Litho's product category is Commercial Printing Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAJALAF, Finishing & Post-Press Services (Cutting, Folding, Collating, Laminating, Foil, Emboss). Its NAICS code is 323111 and its SIC code is 2750.