Imprimerie Chirat SA.

What Imprimerie Chirat SA. does

Imprimerie Chirat SA is a French offset and digital printing company founded in 1911, operating a 100% integrated and autonomous production site in Saint-Just-la-Pendue, Loire (Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes), with showrooms in Lyon and Paris. The company produces books, magazines, catalogs, brochures, guides, periodicals, fine art books, and—as of 2024—carton packaging, all from a single site that houses prepress, printing, finishing, and routing/logistics under one roof. Annual capacity is approximately 20 million books and 600,000 printed sheets per day across four offset presses, with a newly installed Müller Martini ALLEGRO binding line (21 assemblers, robotic depilers, automated QC) and a 2025 KOLBUS DA 370 covering machine expanding finishing capability.

The company serves four primary verticals: publishers and editors, communication agencies, cultural and arts institutions (e.g., Grand Palais–RMN, Bonlieu–Scène Nationale d'Annecy, Megève Tourisme), and industrial/consumer-goods clients. Pricing is project-based and quoted per engagement, with customers submitting specifications via a website quote form or through dedicated account managers, and uploading print-ready files through a dedicated prepress portal. Revenue is generated from one-time project fees for printing, finishing/binding, packaging production, and bundled routing/logistics distribution, with no subscription or recurring-license model.

The company is publicly listed on Euronext Access (ticker FR0000065773) under five-generation family ownership (Auguste and Jacques Chirat currently active), and is certified Entreprise du Patrimoine Vivant by the French Ministry of Economy. Reported revenue was EUR 20.65M in FY2024 (down from EUR 23.27M in FY2023), with a stable workforce of approximately 180 employees and a multi-year disclosed revenue range of EUR 17.66M–23.27M. Recent strategic focus has been on packaging diversification, finishing automation, and capital-equipment partnerships with Müller Martini, KOLBUS, HEIDELBERG, and Fedrigoni.

Name

Imprimerie Chirat SA.

Legal name

Imprimerie Chirat SA

Website

https://imprimerie-chirat.fr

Company type

Public

Founded year

1911

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Imprimerie Chirat SA is a 115-year-old French offset and digital printer serving publishers, agencies, cultural institutions, and industrial clients from a single integrated Loire production site producing roughly 20 million books and several million packaging units per year, generating around EUR 20–23M in annual revenue under five-generation family ownership.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Saint-just-la-pendue

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Offset Printing Services: High-volume offset printing for books, magazines, catalogs, brochures, packaging, and fine art books. Revenue derived from per-project pricing based on page count, print run, paper selection, and finishing requirements.
2. Digital Printing Services: Short-run digital printing for lower-volume or personalized print jobs.
3. Finishing and Binding Services: In-house finishing including perfect binding, sewn binding, covering, hot stamping, selective varnish, embossing, laminating, and die-cutting. Offered as standalone service or bundled with printing.
4. Carton Packaging Production: Production of carton packaging, boxes, and folding cartons for industrial and consumer goods clients. Growing revenue stream with multiple millions of packs produced.
5. Routing and Logistics: End-to-end distribution services from production site to final delivery, including mailing and shipping.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Imprimerie Chirat is a French commercial printing company that produces books, magazines, catalogs, brochures, fine art books, and carton packaging on its fully integrated production site in Saint-Just-la-Pendue. It offers offset and digital printing, complete in-house finishing and binding, packaging production, and routing/logistics services. The company serves publishers, communication agencies, cultural institutions, and industrial clients across France.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Book Printing (Édition) High-volume offset and digital printing of books, BD/manga, brochures, catalogs, guides, magazines, and periodicals for publishers, agencies, and independent authors. Annually produces over 20 million bound books.
• Carton Packaging Production Production of carton packaging, boxes, folding cartons, etuis, and fourreaux using 8-color offset presses at 14,000 sheets/hour, BOBST die-cutting at 5,000 sheets/hour, and folding-gluing at 5,000–35,000 boxes/hour. Supports food-safe inks, Pantone colors, and acrylic varnishes.
• Fine Art Books (Beaux Livres) Premium fine art books and coffee-table editions combining sophisticated finishing (embossing, hot stamping, selective varnish) with premium paper selection. Examples include the Grand Palais – RMN Chiharu Shiota exhibition catalog with Swiss binding and visible colored-thread sewing.
• Finishing and Binding Services In-house finishing services including perfect binding, sewn binding, covering, hot stamping (traditional and digital IFOIL), selective 2D/3D varnish, embossing, laminating, and die-cutting. Offered as standalone or bundled with printing, with capacity of 10 million bound books per year on the ALLEGRO line.
• Routing and Logistics Distribution End-to-end distribution services from the Saint-Just-la-Pendue production site to final delivery, including mailing and shipping, enabling direct-to-recipient distribution for clients across France.
• Prepress Services Prepress file preparation and graphic chain services (PAO) including a dedicated online prepress portal (prepresse.imprimerie-chirat.fr) for clients to upload print-ready files and track orders.
• Digital Printing Services Short-run digital printing for lower-volume or personalized print jobs, used for fine art photography books, small editions, and customized projects where offset volume is not required.

Quantifiable outcome

• 20 million books produced per year
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and moderate.

• KOLBUS Group GmbHcoreTechnology or Integration · 19 June 2025KOLBUS supplied the DA 370 covering machine, an entirely automatic binder enabling reduced set-up times, high production cadence, and access to new mini and maxi format options. Combined with operator training by KOLBUS teams.
• Goal FootminorOthers · 3 October 2024Local football club (Gand Olympique Avenir Loire) based in Saint-Just-la-Pendue. Chirat sponsors Goal Foot as a local community engagement initiative, reflecting shared values of teamwork and dedication.
• Open Auvergne Rhône Alpes de RoanneminorOthers · 3 September 2024Imprimerie Chirat is a sponsor of the Open Auvergne Rhône Alpes de Roanne tennis tournament (October 7–13). Part of local community engagement and regional sports support.
• Fedrigoni Special PapersmoderateTechnology or Integration · 13 August 2024Fedrigoni Special Papers selected Imprimerie Chirat for their 'Papier du mois' (Paper of the Month) showcase, featuring the new Arena HD paper. This demonstrates Fedrigoni's confidence in Chirat's printing quality and positions Chirat as a reference printer for premium paper grades.
• Fedrigoni GroupmoderateTechnology or Integration · 6 August 2024Supplies premium printing papers including Materica Kraft used for the Blizzard Artic Fox photography book project. Fedrigoni's specialty papers are a key material input enabling Chirat to deliver premium results.
• Müller MartinicoreTechnology or Integration · 27 July 2024Müller Martini supplied the ALLEGRO binding line, a centerpiece of Imprimerie Chirat's finishing transformation. The ALLEGRO line with 21 assemblers, robotic depilers, and automated quality control cameras represents a major capital investment and core operational technology.
• Roannais TourismeminorOthers · 16 July 2024Roannais Tourisme partnered with Imprimerie Chirat to organize public factory visits, promoting the region's industrial heritage to visitors. The visits were held twice and sold out.
• Trafik AgencymoderateStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 July 2024Lyon-based graphic design agency Trafik, led by Pierre Rodière, provides creative graphic design for Bonlieu – Scène Nationale d'Annecy's season brochure printed by Chirat. Represents a long-term creative partnership delivering complex print projects combining panoramic inserts, Pantone colors, and phosphorescent ink.
• HEIDELBERG FRANCEmoderateTechnology or Integration · 3 June 2024Imprimerie Chirat attended Drupa 2024 in Düsseldorf and shared a joint event with HEIDELBERG FRANCE, the leading press manufacturer. Heidelberg is a key technology partner whose equipment underpins the printing operations.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Maury Imprimeur: French offset printing company producing books, magazines, and catalogs. Closely comparable to Imprimerie Chirat in vertical mix, publisher/agency customer base, and integrated business model.
• Corlet Imprimeur: French printing company producing books, magazines, and commercial print. Similar scale, heritage profile, and customer segments to Imprimerie Chirat in the French publisher market.
• Clays (CPI Books): UK-based book printer serving publishers with hardcover and paperback production. Comparable to Imprimerie Chirat in book-focused production and publisher customer segment.
• Imprimerie Aubin: French commercial printer offering books, magazines, and offset printing. Comparable to Imprimerie Chirat in product mix and publisher customer base within the French offset printing market.
• Graphius: Belgian printing company offering books, magazines, and packaging. Comparable to Imprimerie Chirat in offset printing capabilities, integrated production model, and European publisher customer base.

Broad incumbents

• RR Donnelley: Major US printing services company with broad capabilities across commercial, financial, and packaging print. Comparable to Imprimerie Chirat in commercial print services and integrated production, though at much larger scale.
• Mondi: European paper and packaging company with operations in containerboard, kraft paper, and corrugated packaging. Comparable in paper-based packaging category, though at vastly larger scale and broader portfolio.
• TC Transcontinental: Canadian commercial printer and packaging company with broad portfolio across print and flexible packaging. Comparable to Imprimerie Chirat in offset printing and packaging product lines, though at significantly larger scale.
• Smurfit Westrock: Global paper-based packaging giant with corrugated and consumer packaging operations. Comparable to Imprimerie Chirat's carton packaging business, though at vastly larger scale and broader portfolio.
• Quad/Graphics: Large US-based commercial printing company serving retail, publishing, and direct mail. Comparable to Imprimerie Chirat in commercial print services and catalog/magazine production, though at much larger scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/imprimerie-chirat
• Instagraminstagram.com/imprimerie.chirat

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Imprimerie Chirat SA.