Former Armstrong Printing Unit Re-Emerges in New V

Lancaster, PA, Feb. 22--Downsizing for Armstrong World Industries has turned into upsizing for businessman Craig Arnold, according to the Lancaster New Era. Three years ago, Arnold learned that Armstrong was phasing out its 25-employee in-house printing department. Arnold, whose company printed invoices and other business forms for Armstrong for many years, figured the so-called "reprographics" department would complement his firm. So he bought the department and made it a separate company--Lancaster Reprographics LLC. The change in ownership has made the once-doomed department prosper, leading to an expansion and, most recently, an acquisition that gives the printing company a presence in the quick-copy business. It was May 2001 when Arnold, owner of Arnold Printed Communications, purchased the department's equipment and inventory for an undisclosed price. The department, established in the early 1950s, had produced advertising, corporate printing such as annual reports, and product labels and instruction sheets. "We saw it as an opportunity to broaden our offering of products," Arnold said. The new company initially kept 23 of the department's 25 employees. Greg Stauffer, the department's supervisor, became general manager. Also coming on board was Parker Jones, initially a consultant and now the company's controller. In September 2003, Lancaster Reprographics purchased the business assets of Kango Kopy & Print Center Inc. for an undisclosed price, Arnold said. The business will retain the Kango name and remain in its current location, he said. "It gives us that front end of digital copying and short-run printing," Arnold said. And it allows Kango, primarily a quick-copy business, the ability to accept larger jobs that can be processed by Lancaster Reprographics.