historical image of swift print communications

Our Rich History as Local Printers Starts in 1912

As an innovative print company that’s been operating for over a century, we certainly have a rich and dynamic history! Swift Print Communications was founded by John S. Swift in 1912 in St. Louis, MO. Prior to his adoption of offset printing, 99% of print was performed on platen presses similar to Johannes Gutenberg’s work and “Letter Press” technology. As a pioneer in offset technology, John S. Swift testified before congress on the quality of offset vs. letter press printing, ushering a new, better way to produce printed materials and reduce cost.

Swift Print Communications Today

At Swift Print Communications today, our skilled local printers make every effort to maintain that same innovative spirit and are specialists in the four disciplines in which we operate. The following are the four pillars of our company

As buyers assume more responsibilities, our quality printers strive to make it easy to partner with one company that can handle any and all printing requests. By simplifying the entire process, we ensure quality and timeliness of each and every project no matter how big or small.

Our Business Philosophy

At our print shop in St. Louis, MO, our local printers are always pursuing perfection, working hard to be a little better every day. Our mission statement comes from the fact that no organization can sustain itself for more than 100 years unless it is always striving to improve.

At Swift Print Communications, we don’t want to be the biggest; we want to be the best. At our print facility, our team strives to be innovative, smart, fun, creative, and most importantly, accountable. The reason we are equipped the way we are is by ensuring we control the quality and timeliness of each project. At Swift Print Communications, our local printers are always improving in order to provide you with the very best print solutions.

Swift Print Communications Timeline: A History of Innovation

In case you are a bit of a history buff, we have provided a snapshot of our 100+ years of innovation within the print industry.

1912

John S. Swift opens John S. Swift Planography

1914

John S. Swift pioneers Offset Lithography and changes company name to John S. Swift Lithography & Planography

1918

John S. Swift Testifies to congress on the quality of Offset vs. Planography printing

1936

The NAIC (National Association of Insurance Commissioners) tasks John S. Swift Company to develop “blanks” for the entire insurance industry

1941

John S. Swift donates 210,000 trees to the school children of St. Louis

swift print communications invents mechanical plate processor

1952

John S. Swift employees invent the first mechanical Plate processor

1966

Swift “Micro-Dot” (which enhanced halftones) was introduced

1982

Installation of the first 40” two-color press

1991

Installation of the first flatbed scanner

1993

Installation of the first Imagesetter

1996

Installation of the first five-color 40” press

1998

Installation of the first Plate processor
Installation of the first digital press (HP Indigo)

2004

Six-color 29” Hybrid UV Press Installation

2006

SwiftClick Introduced

2011

Grand Format Dept debuts featuring Oce Arizona 550 flatbed printer and Colex i-cut Cutter
Six-Color 40” Press installed

2013

Second Digital Press Installed

2014

Ad Specialty Items added to product mix

2017

First Inkjet press (Colormax) installed

2018

Digital label press and digital die-cutter installed

Contact Our Local Printers Today

At Swift Print Communications, our story is made up of a thousand little stories created over the 100+ years we have been in business. From our inception in 1912 to today, we have worked hard to constantly improve our process while still maintaining our core values in order to continuously provide unmatched printing services and solutions. To learn more about our company and our custom print solutions, contact our local printers today! We look forward to serving you!

Get Support from the Swift Team