Caxton Printers remains successful after 120 years in the printing industry

The Caxton Printers Ltd. was founded in 1896 by A.E. Gipson as an agricultural newspaper named “The Gem State Rural.”

In 1904, the company shifted its focus to commercial printing services, including providing office and business supplies, and changed its name to The Caxton Printers Ltd. The name was chosen as a reference to William Caxton ? England’s first printer.

Today, more than 120 years later, the Caldwell-based company provides high-quality digital and offset printing and finishing services to customers across the Western United States, and serves as the Idaho Textbook Depository, which provides curricular materials to public and private schools around the state. There are a total of four business divisions today ? including the Caxton Press (the book publishing division) and the Caxton School and Office Supplies division, which provides classroom products, office furnishings and paper goods to schools and businesses.

Those four business divisions employ 37 employees and have over 1,000 active customers. It’s now owned and controlled by the Gipson family trust ? a board of directors manages the trusts and oversees business operations run by the fifth and sixth generation of Gipsons. Scott Gipson is at the helm as president, Ron Gipson serves as vice president and Megan Gipson is the printing sales manager.

When asked what makes The Caxton Printers Ltd. unique, Scott Gipson shared that it boils down to three things: Longevity, history and customer service.

“We are a family business that strives to treat our employees and customers as family,” he said. “We believe that we have been, and remain, an important piece of the business history of the state of Idaho. We intend to continue to explore new avenues of growth, new technologies and new ways of delivering high-quality production services with a focus on customer service that will take us into the next 100 years.”

Gipson explained that there have been many cycles of growth and retraction after doing business for more than a century. While business continues to thrive today, it hasn’t been without some challenges along the way that needed to be overcome ? two pandemics, two world wars, the Great Depression and a fire that destroyed their plant in 1937. But perseverance remained and Gipson said that there have been many highlights throughout the course of the business’ history ? in fact, too many highlights to name.

He did explain that one of The Caxton Printers’ biggest recent highlights was adding a new HP Indigo 15K digital offset press ? which is the first of its kind in Idaho. The offset printing involves transferring ink from a metal plate to a rubber blanket, then transferring the ink to the specific printing surface. This process allows for enhanced precision and better consistency in reproduction ? especially for intricate designs.

“This signifies a dramatic change in how we produce and deliver quality printed materials to our customers, and has already opened up many new opportunities,” he said.

And while delivering the best of the best in printing services is at the core of the company’s mission, Gipson shared that giving back to Idaho communities is also embedded in its operations. The team does regular volunteer work and participates in numerous community and nonprofit organizations, such as Treasure Valley YMCA, the Idaho Youth Ranch, The College of Idaho and Destination Caldwell, just to name a few. They also participate in local law enforcement fundraising and outreach efforts.

Looking ahead, the Gipson family will continue to build on what began so many years ago.

“We will continue to adapt to changing technologies and changing business environments with a focus on furthering our reputation of high-quality production values and exemplary customer service,” Gipson said. “The goal is to continue supporting our customers, employees and communities for another 10 decades.”

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