Friesens Corporation is Canada's largest

printer Printer may refer to: Technology * Printer (publishing), a person or a company * Printer (computing), a hardware device * Optical printer for motion picture films People * Nariman Printer (fl. c. 1940), Indian journalist and activist * James ...

of hardcover books. They are

employee-owned Employee stock ownership, or employee share ownership, is where a company's employees own shares in that company (or in the parent company of a group of companies). US employees typically acquire shares through a share option plan. In the UK, Emp ...

, specializing in hardcover books and

yearbook A yearbook, also known as an annual, is a type of a book published annually. One use is to record, highlight, and commemorate the past year of a school. The term also refers to a book of statistics or facts published annually. A yearbook often ...

s, and located in Altona, Manitoba, Canada. Friesens also operates a self-publishing subsidiary named FriesenPress, launched in 2009.

History

* Friesens was founded by David W. Friesen in 1907 as a

confectionery store A confectionery store (more commonly referred to as a sweet shop in the United Kingdom, a candy shop or candy store in North America, or a lolly shop in Australia and New Zealand) sells confectionery and the intended market is usually children. ...

. * In 1933, the family purchased a

printing press A printing press is a mechanical device for applying pressure to an inked surface resting upon a print medium (such as paper or cloth), thereby transferring the ink. It marked a dramatic improvement on earlier printing methods in which the ...

* In 1941 launched weekly '' Altona Echo'' newspaper later amalgamating with the '' Morris Herald'' into the of the '' Red River Valley Echo''. * In 1950 incorporated as D.W. Friesen & Sons Inc,. * In 1959 built new 16,500 sq. ft. plant. Purchased first

offset press Offset printing is a common printing technique in which the inked image is transferred (or "offset") from a plate to a rubber blanket and then to the printing surface. When used in combination with the lithographic process, which is based on ...

* In 1960 began employee profit sharing and post secondary

scholarship A scholarship is a form of financial aid awarded to students for further education. Generally, scholarships are awarded based on a set of criteria such as academic merit, diversity and inclusion, athletic skill, and financial need. Scholars ...

s for employees' children * In 1965 started selling school

s in

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and

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a province in western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dak ...

* In 1970 launched Business Machines division * In 1971 purchased ACME Box Company. Expanded main plant by 12,000 sq ft. * In 1973 expanded school

force * In 1976 D.W. Friesen & Sons changes t
Friesens
* In 1978 printed first four-colour book * In 1987 purchased four colour presses * In 1990 started Graphic Arts course at Red River Community College *In 1999 Friesens Fast Print and Packaging Division relocated. Started selling school graduation supplies. *In 2000, Friesens printed the Canadian run of '' Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire'', producing 400,000 copies of the book. *In 2002 printed ''

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone ''Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'' is a 1997 fantasy novel written by British author J. K. Rowling. The first novel in the ''Harry Potter'' series and Rowling's debut novel, it follows Harry Potter (character), Harry Potter, a youn ...

'' by

J. K. Rowling Joanne Rowling ( "rolling"; born 31 July 1965), also known by her pen name J. K. Rowling, is a British author and philanthropist. She wrote ''Harry Potter'', a seven-volume children's fantasy series published from 1997 to 2007. The ser ...

*In 2004 Friesens landmark printing of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix on 100% post consumer waste led author

J.K. Rowling Joanne Rowling ( "rolling"; born 31 July 1965), also known by her pen name J. K. Rowling, is a British author and philanthropist. She wrote ''Harry Potter'', a seven-volume children's fantasy series published from 1997 to 2007. The ser ...

to insist all future Harry Potter books worldwide be printed " tree-free" *In 2008 built North America's most advanced and

eco-friendly Environment friendly processes, or environmental-friendly processes (also referred to as eco-friendly, nature-friendly, and green), are sustainability and marketing terms referring to goods and services, laws, guidelines and policies that clai ...

130,000 sq. ft. book manufacturing plant. *In 2009 Friesens purchased think4D® a revolutionary and patented three-dimensional book cover and packaging technology; Friesens launches FriesenPress for self-publishing authors; *In 2010 Friesens designed and printed

American Idol ''American Idol'' is an American singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It aired on Fox from June 11, 2002, to Ap ...

: Back Story and

Season 9 A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and po ...

Highlights; Designed and printed school yearbooks appearing on the television series, ''

Glee Glee means delight, a form of happiness. Glee may also refer to: * Glee (music), a type of English choral music * ''Glee'' (TV series), an American musical comedy-drama TV series, and related media created by Ryan Murphy * ''Glee'' (Bran Van 30 ...

'' *In 2015 Friesens install an 8-colour, format 8, R900 HiPrint XXL perfecting press from

Manroland Manroland AG manufactures newspaper web offset presses, commercial web offset presses, and sheetfed offset presses for commercial, publications and packaging printing. The company has production facilities in Offenbach am Main and Augsburg. Ma ...

that provides for an imposition of up to 64 pages, printed both sides, in one pass Successfully completed a shift in the employee-ownership model. *In 2016 printed ''

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child ''Harry Potter and the Cursed Child'' is a play written by Jack Thorne from an original story by J. K. Rowling, John Tiffany, and Thorne. Previews of the play began at the Palace Theatre, London, on 7 June 2016 as a two-part play, and it p ...

'' *In 2017 celebrated 110 years in business with a corporate and community celebration

Current operations

Friesens is Canada's largest printer of hardcover books. Furthermore, it has been rated as one of Canada's best 50 managed companies by

Deloitte and Touche Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited (), commonly referred to as Deloitte, is an international professional services network headquartered in London, England. Deloitte is the largest professional services network by revenue and number of profession ...

on several occasions. In 2018, Friesens was number 60 of the top 400 printing companies in the United States and Canada.

FriesenPress

On July 13th, 2009, Friesens Corporation launched a self-publishing subsidiary called FriesenPress. FriesenPress offers editing, design, distribution, and promotional support services to assist authors with self-publishing their books. As of 2021, its team of over 55 employees and 100 freelancers have partnered with thousands of authors on self-publishing over 7,000 unique book titles. It is the largest company of its kind in Canada. In March 2021, the company shifted its headquarters to Altona, Manitoba and became a fully remote organization.

Awards

*In 2004, The National Association for Printing Leadership awarded Friesens its highest management award. *In 2004, Caldwell Partners and ''

The Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of approximately 2 million in 2015, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on weekdays and Saturdays, although it ...

'' named

president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...

Curwin Friesen as one of Canada's "Top 40 Under 40".

References

External links

Friesens Corporation
{{Self-publishing Book publishing companies of Canada Employee-owned companies of Canada