Passionate Communications
HISTORY
1925 – Richards Typesetting and Printing is started by Ralph Richards. Richards provides typesetting and printing services. This is unique as most print companies of that time offer either typesetters or printing, generally not both. Type was set on Linotype machines and then combined with foundry type for headlines. Wood and lead spacers were used to create individual pages of lead type slugs, foundry and wood letters for headers (large font sizes), Zinc or magnesium cuts for pictures.
The original location was located in the Rand- McNally building at This century-old, 10-story former Rand McNally printing house and globe factory was originally designed in 1912 by Chicago architects Holabird and Roche and acquired by the federal government in 1952. The building is an example of the Chicago School architectural style, with a steel frame superstructure, masonry exterior walls, and reinforced concrete slab roof and floor.
After his death in 1937, he was succeeded by his wife, Agnes Richards, who was president until 1960.
1943 - 1949 – After enlisting and serving in the Navy Seabees in the Pacific aboard a liberty ship named Tutuila, their son, Harry, attended the Rochester
Institute of Technology (RIT), located in Rochester, NY and received a Certificate in Printing.
1950 – Richards moved to a larger 5,000 sq. ft. facility on the third floor of 216 W. Jackson Boulevard, a block from the site of the future Sears Tower.
1960 – Harry G. Richards became President. Richards provided services primarily for insurance companies in the legal and marketing areas (brochures, stationery, sell sheets, certificates, policies, applications and riders), law firms (engraved stationery) and associations (newsletters, flyers and convention programs) and metal distributors (price books, technical manuals and annual reports). Pages were created using hot metal slugs cast on linotypes. Individual pages were often more than 50 lbs. each. Once each page was proofed and approved, the job was either printed on our Kelly, Kluge or Miehle Vertical letterpresses. After each project was
completed, the type forms were broken up. The leading and wood furniture were reused and the lead slugs melted to be typeset for the next page. As foundry type letters (14 –72-point letters) were limited, our operators would edit the copy for the headlines if there were not enough letters in that size to spell the original copy.
1962 – Colonial Process Printing was purchased and became a division of Richards Typesetting and Printing Company. The first offset press was purchased with Colonial, a 10'' x 13'' Davidson. Reproduction proofs were made from the hot metal pages and were then shot with a large horizontal camera (over 20 feet long) to image film negatives.
The 20'' x 24'' negatives were processed originally in trays and later using automated film processors. The negatives were then assembled into press forms using
orange masking materials and rubylith. As many as six or more masking sheets were often required to burn a single offset plate.
1965 – Richards purchased a Miehle 25'' single color offset press.
1970 – The Company moved to the Moser Building located at 621 S. Plymouth Court (in Printers’ Row). The Company occupied the entire 6th floor with
12,000 square feet of space. The location was perfect as the upper floors were full of coated and uncoated text and cover papers from the Moser Paper
Company that we could order and have delivered in less than an hour for rush projects. A darkroom for exposing and tray developing of film negatives and PMTs area was constructed with the camera going through the darkroom wall.
1976 – Stephen and Rita Richards joined the company after graduating from RIT.
1976 – 1984 Offset presses and Prepress equipment was installed, including a updated camera to expose film negatives used to make plates on a Brown Platemaker. With orange masking and rubylith. A single color 36'' and then a 2-color 38'' Miehle press were also installed. Each piece of equipment was brought up in pieces through the elevator shaft and reassembled on our floor which required a 200 lb. per square foot rating.
1980 – Kevin Richards (RIT) joined the company and later became President of Richards.
1981 – Phototypesetting was introduced as the Company purchased Atex and Autologic Composition Systems and built a custom environmental controlled Typesetting facility inside the plant. This was a bold move to use the latest technology as most commercial printers didn’t have the technical knowledge or access to enough capital to purchase this equipment.
1983 – The Company name was changed to Richards Graphic Communications, Inc. to reflect a broader range of the services offered.
1985 – Mary Richards Lawrence became a member of the Richards’ team after graduating from the University of Illinois (U of I) and attending RIT. Michael
Richards (NIU) also joined the Company after receiving his CPA and working for a Chicago-based accounting firm.
1986 – Richards moved from Plymouth Court to our current 19,000 sq. ft. location in Bellwood, IL. The last hot metal linotype was also sold in that year.
1990 - 1994 – A Linotype 330 film imagesetter, flatbed scanner, Mac desktop workstations and a MBO folder were installed.
1994 – a 6-color, water cooled Mitsubishi 28'' offset press was added, which tripledthe press capacity.
1995 – A 20-station Duplo collator, stitcher and trimmer was installed.
1996 – Richards Network Solutions, Inc. was incorporated as a web development and internet services provider (ISP). Some of the services RNSI provided included DSL, writing custom software, encryption technologies and network integration.
2000 - 2005 – RNSI increased services offered to include e-commerce, internet usage reports and tracking, on-line inventory management and high-speed
internet T-1 lines. RNSI also installed phone, email and fax systems and servers. We also added an FTP site on the RGC home page to allow clients to upload files of almost any size to the servers.
2001 - Richards installed a 6-color 40" Mitsubishi with aqueous coater and extended delivery press which was accepted on September 11, 2001. Using this new technology, Richards was able to remove almost all harsh and flammable chemicals from the pressroom. In pre-press, the Nexus workflow was installed, along
with digital proofing and a CIP3 interface to the press.
2005 – Mary Lawrence becomes President of RGC.
2006 – Richards installed an AGFA Laser Platesetter that automated the imaging of aluminum plates. Richards also becomes certified as a Woman’s Business Enterprise by the WBENC.
- Richards received a Pinnacle Award for Promotional Campaigns, Business to Business for the FMB Baseball Promotion.
2007 – Richards received a Pinnacle Award for Internal Communication pieces (4 or more colors).
The Great Recession began in December 2007 and lasted until June 2009. Richards had to replace numerous long-term clients who were sold or closed during
this time.
2008 – Tim Richards (U of I) joined the company as the first member of the fourth generation of Richards. Tim specializes in sales and database management.
- Jon Richards (Loras) started working as an Adobe Flash animator and our video production manager in addition to working in pre-press and sales.
2009 – RNSI built one of the first WEB to PRINT solutions allowing print clients to check inventory and place and check the status of orders in progress. Richards
added high speed color digital imaging equipment for short runs and variable data imaging. Black and white digital imaging equipment was upgraded to 120 pages per minute. The first client videos and HTML Blast emails were also produced.
2010 – The first iPad was released.
2011 – Richards receives the Loyola Illinois Small Family Business of the year award.
2012 – Our on-line web-to-print ordering portal (CATAPULT) continues to be in high demand from our clients. Richards develops custom storefronts with increasing complexity and secure access allowing hundreds of clients nationwide to place and track orders in progress and confirm delivery dates, approve proofs and pricing.
2013 – Richards receives the Jeffrey Butland Family-Owned Business of the Year Award. Certificate of Completion - Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Business Program
2015 – 90th year. First Apple Watch was released.
2016 – Richards receives a Printing Industry of America Benny for the Best in Category for Business and Annual Reports (4 or more colors, printers with 20
employees or less) for the Duff & Phelps Powering Sound Decisions Corporate Brochure. Steve and Rita accepted the award in Orlando, FL.
2017 – Richards continues to expand the digital imaging adding both Black and White (1200 and 1250) KM presses and 1100 KM digital color presses with Creo Color Management. All digital presses have in-line fold, and stitch functionality.
2018 – Mary Lawrence receives the Enterprising Women of the year Award. Richards wins the US Small Business Administration - Family Business of the Year award.
2020 – A global pandemic sends businesses into uncharted territory. Richards is designated as an essential business by Governor J.B. Pritzker. Richards
develops a comprehensive set of polices based on CDC recommendations to keep our employees safe. Employees, when job responsibilities allow, work remotely. The IT team works to overcome any remote technical difficulties while maintaining data security using secure VPN encrypted network connections.
- Richards completes a comprehensive security review and achieves SOC 2 Type 2 certification from Wipfli. SOC 2 Type II reports are the most comprehensive certification within the Systems and Organization Controls protocol.
- Kate Lawrence joins Richards from Boston University (BU) focusing on sales, HR and business management.
- Orders significantly reduce due to cancellation of events, conferences and transition to remote work.
2021 – Mary won the inaugural Enterprising Woman Year Award from the Great Lakes Graphic Association.
- Mary Lawrence also receives the CRAIN'S 2021 NOTABLE NONPROFIT BOARD LEADER.
2022 – Richards makes an asset purchase of Kcines Inc. effective June 1, 2022, from George Senick.
- Richards receives HITRUST r2 certification after an extensive external audit.
2023 – Richards triples our mailing capabilities by adding a Blue Crest Rival inserter equipped with three paper feed drawers and electric eye bar code detection.
Richards receives HITRUST CSF v9.3 Risk based 2-year2 certification. Richards adds a high-speed B & W Accurio digital press.
2024 – Richards installs a new plate imager Avalon N8-22 with double the previous plate imaging speed for Develop on Press (DOP) aluminum plates.
- Richards added a Canon V1000 Variable image color press.
- Richards receives HITRUST r2 certification.
- Addition of new, skilled employees allow increased production and project management.
- RNSI continues to focus on Endpoint Protection / Device Security, software and database management; in-house and remote IT support; network security and endpoint protection; and evaluating / developing / delivering custom network servers and backup systems, Systems Design, Installation & Maintenance.
- Richards trains all of our employees to protect client data using multifactor authorization, hardened physical facilities and specialized virus software.
2025 – Richards celebrates 100 years of service and celebrates our dedicated employees, suppliers and amazing clients.