The origin of E. O. Painter Printing Company began with the newspaper Florida Agriculturalist. Organized in 1873 the Agriculturalist began publication in Jacksonville, Florida under the guidance of Charles Walton. Through the next thirteen years the Agriculturalist progressed by acquiring other newspapers as well as ownership changes. In 1877 Edward Painter began working for the Agriculturalist then owned by Christopher Codrington and located in Deland, Florida. Painter’s enthusiasm and work effort became instrumental in the continued success of the Agriculturalist and in 1886 with the decline of Codrington’s health Painter at the age of twenty-six was able to purchase the Agriculturalist. Painter continued to publish the Agriculturalist under the company name E. O. Painter & Proprietors. In 1886 Painter hired Sydney Johnston to be an editor. Johnston had moved to Orange City, Florida in 1881 to work for the South Florida Times newspaper. In 1883 Johnston moved to Deland, Florida to begin his own newspaper the Orange Ridge Echo. Johnston’s managerial skills became increasingly significant to Painter who had begun other interests in Agricultural Fertilizer. In 1904 the business formally incorporated under the name E. O. Painter Printing Company and today is located in Deleon Springs, Florida. Since 1904 Sydney Johnston and his descendants have been both owners and managers of E. O. Painter Printing Company. Today the business is guided by Johnston’s grandson Sidney Dick Johnston and two of his great grandsons Jeffrey and Mark Johnston as well as Jeffrey’s wife Donna. The foundation of our longevity is based in using quality products, first class service, and competitive pricing. Our products range from digital commercial printing and fulfillment to book production.

October 31, 2011. The installation of our new Xerox Digital Press is complete. The press prints beautiful 2400 dpi CMYK color and runs up to a 13 x 19 sheet. The machine is configured with high capacity feed drawers and an inline finisher that saddle stitches books up to 100 pages. The robust device prints on coated and uncoated paper up to 300 gsm. Targeting short run book production market in color as well as black printing, the new press provides a high quality alternative at an economical price. This press accommodates four up imposition of book work and a wide range of commercial printing.

June 1, 2009. In June of 2007 we upgraded our largest plant air conditioning system to a higher efficiency unit with a advanced customized filtration system. At the same time, a computer controlled temperature management system was put in place for the entire production area. Along with increased airflow efficiency and comfort of our employees, we have seen a 15% - 20% decrease in our energy usage month to month for the last two years.

January 1, 2009. E. O. Painter Printing Company, partnered with Fuji Graphics, made the transition from the Fuji "PRO-T" plate, which began in late 2006, to the recently released “Ecomaxx-T” plate. The newest generation of plates has again proved successful in testing and will serve as the new base for future development. This new generation of plates allows for faster make ready and the continued elimination of all chemical processing, that is part of the "Green" environment that the company supports.

February 1, 2007 E. O. Painter Printing Company is proud to announce a complete upgrade to their Prepress department. Committed to a total digital platform, the expansion of the prepress area includes a Creo direct to plate (DTP) imaging system, an upgraded Xitron rip with Color Pro and trapping features, and an Epson 9800 eight color 2400 DPI inkjet printer. The upgrade has many inherent values that begin with maximum production efficiency, impressive accuracy in color proofing, trapping, and finer line screens, all which lead to higher quality printing. The company has eliminated the use of all traditional film, and film proofing processes, reducing raw costs and eliminating a waste stream. As part of the upgrade, the implementation of "process less plates" serves as significant part of the upgrade. The new generation plates require no chemical processing, saving chemical costs and eliminating an additional waste stream. The company partnered with Fuji Graphics testing the Fuji "PRO-T" in late 2006. The plates proved successful in testing and under a controlled release program, the first plate in the new DTP system was run in late January of 2007. The plates and the elimination of all chemical processing are integral part of an approach to a "Green" environment that the company supports.


News Release 5-20-04 DeLeon Springs, FL - E. O. Painter Printing Company held its one hundredth annual Stockholders and Directors meeting at the company headquarters today. As Florida's oldest continuously operating printing company, the family managed firm celebrated "four generations of success" at their meetings. The company was purchased by Sidney Weller Johnston, the current company president's grandfather, from E. O. Painter and incorporated in 1904. The fourth generation of the Johnston family own and operates the company today. E. O. Painter Printing Company's origin dates back to 1873, in Jacksonville, Florida where entrepreneur Edward Okle Painter started in printing. Painter, an agricultural fertilizer manufacturer, was also a pioneer in publishing information on agricultural advances and techniques. His commitment to agriculture helped propel Florida's industry in the late 1880's. Since the 1950's the company has focused primarily on book printing. As the markets of the last two years have shown growth in "on demand" digital printing, E. O. Painter has been at the forefront with the technology. "For several years we have been producing short run books with as few as 10 copies with full color capabilities. Using traditional methods of binding with both hard and soft bindings, the digital approach has filled a market gap that demands quality. The response has been very positive" stated Jeffrey Johnston, company Vice President. "Using the same binding systems as mainstream publications, most clients are unable to differentiate between toner based technologies and traditional offset printing." This process accommodates a growing market including self publishing, family genealogies, and reprints. The company, long steeped in west Volusia County, has produced thousands of books for local authors in the central Florida area. The company's book printing market encompasses the entire US with major clients in Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, New York, Puerto Rico, Texas, and Wisconsin. For the last two years, E. O. Painter Printing Company has taken top awards for books in the Printing Industry of Florida annual Print Awards. For additional company information log on to www.eopainterprinting.com.