About
Committed to serving the Merrimack Valley for over 85 years.
For over 85 years, LaPlume and Sons Printing, Inc. has provided print services and marketing solutions to businesses of the Greater Merrimack Valley. LaPlume is committed to providing high-quality, affordable printed products to our customers, big and small. Valuing our clients above all else, and honoring our humble beginnings has allowed us to become a recognized name in commercial printing.
Our unlikely beginnings make for an interesting story, and proves that the old saying “everything happens for a reason” is true. Gabriel LaPlume, a Canadian native known to many as “Bill”, owned a small bicycle repair shop in a shed behind his Lawrence home. As a staple depression-era figure in the community where he lived, he was notorious for his hard work, generosity, and willingness to give back to others, even during difficult times.
It was out of Bill’s generosity that LaPlume was founded on a sunny day in 1935. After completing the repair of a local customer’s bicycle, the customer returned to pick up the bike, but with empty pockets. Understanding of the difficult times, but recognizing that he needed to be compensated for his services, Bill accepted a small hand press in lieu of payment. It was then that he realized there was an opportunity to supplement his repair shop by printing small items, such as wedding invitations, greeting cards, and raffle tickets. Slowly and steadily, he began moving his tools out of the shed, trading them in favor of printing equipment, paper, and ink.
In French, LaPlume means “the feather,” and staying true to his Canadian heritage, Bill called the shop “One Feather Studio Printing,” named after his only son at the time. After his second child was born, it was renamed “Two Feathers Studio Printing,” increasing to “Nine Feathers” when his ninth child was born. Although he and his wife Regina had thirteen children, he stopped at nine because he ran out of room at the top of his letterhead. It was at this point that his sons began to take an interest in the business, and it was decided that it would be formally branded as LaPlume and Sons Printing Co., Inc.
By 1944, two of his young sons, Raymond and Ronald, became actively involved in the business. Helping their dad around the shop here and there turned into a full time job, and eventually the duo, along with their brother Jim, took ownership of the family business and began expanding it into the multi-faceted operation it is today.
Specializing in all forms of printing, we have the experience to manage any job ranging in size and complexity. Whether you're looking for a million coupons, a hundred booklets, or anything in between, we have the expertise to deliver high quality, affordable, on time pieces to your specifications. Many of our experienced and dedicated staff have been with LaPlume for 20, 30, and even 40 years, making our production staff unmatched in skill and capability.
While we have grown, advanced, and improved, we are reminded daily that the community of Lawrence and the Merrimack Valley are a great part of our success. Today, we continue to do business with hundreds of customers in our immediate area, across the country, and over international waters.
85
Years in Business
20
Dedicated Staff
+1.5 mil
Jobs Completed
Team
Dedication and Experience Counts.
Ray is among the most experienced and respected in the print industry. Starting in 1944, at just six years old, he worked in his father’s small print shop located in the backyard of their Inman Street home in Lawrence. Ray and his brother Ron quickly took an interest in the family business, assuming complete ownership in 1956. Over the forty years that they operated the business together, it grew from a small backyard shop to the expansive operation it is today. Seventy-five years later, Ray is still in the facility, ensuring that the same quality and affordability his father envisioned when he founded LaPlume, continues.
An electrical engineer and attorney by education and trade, Scott chose to enter the family business of his spouse, Lisa, in 1999. During the last 20 years that he has been involved with LaPlume, he has transitioned the business into the 21st century, allowing it to offer more flexibility and affordability. Scott is credited with the establishment of the digital printing department, and with the installation of the first Xerox Color 1000 press in Massachusetts. Looking forward, Scott aims to expand the overall service offerings of LaPlume, to better serve its customers and their needs.
Jim LaPlume
Skipper
Lead Customer Service Representative
Facility
State of the Art and Constantly Evolving.
LaPlume currently operates out of a 17,000 square foot G7 Master Qualified Facility, which houses our offset, digital, and finishing departments along with customer service, prepress, and graphic design. After moving from five smaller locations, all of which were located on the same two-mile strip in Lawrence, we arrived at our current facility in 1978. Outgrowing the space quicker than anticipated, an addition was built in 1991 to accommodate our offset pressroom.
Starting in 2016, the facility began extensive renovations, modernizing and bringing it into the 21st century. A refresh of the offset pressroom, expansion of the digital pressroom, and creation of additional office space for customer service, prepress, and graphic design is underway to better fit the needs of the changing industry.