• About Us

Gilson has been a trailblazer in marketing, printing, and brand services since the 1940s. Headquartered in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and Atlantic, Iowa, we serve clients throughout the entire United States. Our broad menu of services enables us to develop, produce, and deliver creative, targeted sales, and marketing materials for customers in a variety of industries.

From multi-national retailers, brands and manufacturers to publishers, universities and small businesses, we offer every customer just the right mix of services, including creative strategy, graphic design, composition, print production, and multi-channel e-commerce solutions via Mindwire®, our advanced technology platform.

Learn more about how we can help support your sales and marketing efforts by contacting a Gilson representative today.

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  • Creative Services

    • Branding & Identity
    • Logo Design
    • Photography & Videography
    • Renderings
    • Content Creation
    • Structural Design
    • Point-of-Purchase Displays
    • Event Displays

  • Print Production

    • Commercial Offset Printing
    • Digital Printing
    • Short-Run Book Publishing
    • Large Format Printing
    • Direct-To-Substrate Printing
    • Diecutting & Finishing
    • CNC Router Finishing
    • G7 Certified Facility

  • Fulfillment & Distribution

    • Mailing Services
    • Kit Packing
    • Fulfillment
    • Distro Management
    • Retail Store Profiling
    • Technology & Development
    • Microsoft PowerBI Reporting

A Look Back: Our History

  • 1948:

    Founded by Lars Gilson

    On June 6, 1948, Lars Gilson bought a local letterpress print shop, renamed it Gilson Press, and invested in new technology to supplement the existing equipment.

  • 1952:

    Lithographic Offset Press Added

    As offset printing began challenging letterpress for speed and economy of operation, Gilson Press purchased its first lithographic offset press in 1952.

  • 1957:

    Relocation to North Avenue

    Construction of federal highway U.S. Route 131 in 1957 caused Gilson Press to relocate to 631 North Avenue, which is the current location of their offset print production facility.

  • 1974:

    Lars’ sons join the company

    In 1974, Lars Gilson’s oldest son, David, joined the company and four years later his second son, Mark, became an employee as well.

  • 1980:

    Gilson begins to beta test new technology

    In 1980, Gilson Press became the first printer in Michigan to allow text from client word processors and main frames to be electronically transferred to the composition stage. This venture began the practice of Gilson Press being a beta tester for new technology from manufacturers.

  • 1985:

    Xyvision Graphics System installed

    In 1985, Gilson installed the Xyvision graphics system. becoming only the second in the U.S. to do so. This would become the foundation for Gilson’s robust Document Composition department.

  • 1991:

    Name officially changed to Gilson Graphics

    The company rebranded to Gilson Graphics, Inc., signaling its shift from outsourcing certain steps in the printing process to becoming a comprehensive in-house provider.

  • 1995:

    Computer-to-Plate Workflow established

    Gilson Graphics became a pioneer in Michigan, and the second in the U.S., by adopting ‘computer to plate’ (CTP) workflow through the installation of Doplate 800 and imposition workstations.

  • 1998

    Won The Gold Award as North America’s printer of the year

    In 1998, Gilson Graphics won the Gold Award as North America’s Printer of the Year in the catalog category as judges considered the overall impact of the piece, degree of difficulty, and technical excellence.

  • 2001:

    The Era of Acquisitions begins

    Gilson Graphics expanded its capabilities by acquiring select assets from some of the region’s largest graphics companies, adding short run color, variable data printing, and large format capabilities.

  • 2002:

    Gilson Opens Location in Iowa

    In late 2002, Gilson Graphics opened its educational composition and quality control department in Atlantic, Iowa, working mainly on standardized testing material.

  • 2006:

    Gilson acquired Photolith Inc. and Commercial Printing Co.

    In 2006, Gilson Graphics acquired assets of two major local companies which added prepress capabilities, web development, small press capabilities, and increased print sales.

  • 2009:

    Gilson acquired Integra Printing Co.

    Gilson Graphics also purchased selected assets of Integra Printing, Inc., adding about 70 employees as well as a new headquarters located at 2000 Oak Industrial Drive in Grand Rapids, MI resulting in new digital and offset printing capabilities as well as Fulfillment and Mailing Services.

  • 2023

    Celebrates 75th anniversary

    Gilson celebrates their 75th anniversary with employees and their families, as well as a record-breaking sales and an impressive 30% growth from the prior year.

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Just look how far we’ve come.

200+

More than 200 employees

3

Nationwide Facilities

200,000+

Square-Foot Warehouse & Fulfillment Center

$5.1M

Investment in New Technology in the last 18 months

Let’s work together.

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