Transcontinental Targets U.S. Comics Printing
This story originally appeared in PW Comics Week on March 21, 2006 Sign up now!
by Calvin Reid, PW Daily -- Publishers Weekly, 3/21/2006
In a comics printing market that's dominated by the Canadian printer Quebecor, another large Canadian printer, Transcontinental, is looking to expand. Transcontinental is targeting U.S. comics publishers and publishers of role-playing games, aiming to add publishers of comics periodicals and books to its roster of clients.
Transcontinental is a 30-year-old printer based in Quebec that currently has about 25 to 30 comics publishing clients. The printer currently handles work for such publishers as Dark Horse Comics, Drawn & Quarterly and Dynamic Forces, and added Image Comics to its client roster in January.
Daniel Gallina, team leader for Transcontinental's comics and RPG marketing team, says the printer formed the comics marketing team about two years ago to target the market; since then, the printer's U.S. comics business has grown 200%. Transcontinental has four plants (out of its 60) devoted to printing graphic novels and comics periodicals.
Gallina cited the growth of graphic novels and the shift from periodical publishing to book publishing in the comics industry. "We see this a chance for us to become an important player in the U.S. market," says Gallina. "We're really focused on this industry, and analyzed the market," he says. "Comics and games look good for growth. We want to partner with publishers and show what Transcontinental can do."
Comics periodical printing is dominated by Quebecor. Lebonfon, a smaller Canadian printer also based in Quebec, specializes in short runs and prints for publishers like Fantagraphics, Viz and Oni Press. Price advantages and a high level of quality have been attracting U.S. publishers to Asian printers for color work and book printing. In the U.S., Chicago-based printing giant Donnelly does some comics work, as does Brenner Printing in San Antonio, Tex.
