Chicago's Printing Industry Deals With Decline

Ed Rossini says his company, Palmer Printing Inc., is the last printer on Printers Row.

Decades ago, it was just one of many printing houses lining Dearborn and Clark streets in the city's South Loop. They were part of a thriving industry that gave Chicago a reputation as the printing capital of the country and provided tens of thousands of skilled laborers with well-paying jobs.

That picture changed drastically over the past decade, with the Great Recession accelerating a decline driven by the rise of electronic communication and digital printing efficiency.