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A heartfelt “thank you” to the Canadian
printing industry
As we celebrate our 32nd year in business with so
many wonderful people in this industry here and
south of the border, we thought we should mention
how much we genuinely appreciate your unwavering
support. Rest assured that we’re dedicated to staying
the course by developing and marketing the best
pressroom chemicals on the market – and only
pressroom chemicals. This commitment to innovation
actually began decades ago, so we thought we’d give you a
glimpse of how Unigraph was born.
It all began in Montreal in the mid 1920s. Our grandfather
Wilbert was a stone polisher by trade and honed his skills at
Montreal Litho for 10 years. In those days, stones (not plates)
were used to print. In hindsight, he was a true pioneer in
the evolution of the Canadian printing industry. In 1933 he
founded his own company, Commercial Litho Plate Graining
Limited. Even back then he realized the potential for metal
plates and developed an innovative graining method that led
to the development of the first aluminum grained plates in
Canada!
Wilbert was chosen Craftsman of the
Year in 1970 by the IAPHC. He was also
a member of the Montreal Chamber
of Commerce, Graphic Arts Technical
Foundation, Canadian Lithographers’
Association, Montreal and Ottawa Club
of Printing House Craftsmen, Vicom
(Society of Reproduction Engineers)
and the National Association of
Photo-Lithographers.
The 1950s shift to offset printing saw
aluminum plates replacing zinc – a turning
point in the industry. Our father Leo joined
Our father Leo (left) with our grandfather Wilbert and his revolutionary
the company in 1951 and together they
new coating machine for wipe-on
played a key role in this transformation.
plates (circa 1952).
Then came another breakthrough.
Eventually, they pioneered an exclusive
processing method that made their wipe-on
plates the most popular in North America. New ideas kept
coming and the result was further expansion.
Pressroom chemicals
only
First and foremost, Unigraph
International is – and always
will be – a pressroom chemical
manufacturing company. We fully
understand that our reputation
rests on how each and every
one of our 200-plus products
performs, as well as our ongoing
technical support. This has
resulted in an earned trust that is
often rare in our industry, and we
will never take that for granted.
This gift of a polished printing stone was given
to us by our father Leo (right) several years ago.
Though our name is Unigraph
‘International’, we will always
remain proudly Canadian. In
fact, we can tell you through personal experience that our
U.S. clients are constantly praising the Canadian printing and
graphic arts industry. Yes, our products have made a huge
impact south of the border, but so have Canadian printers for
their innovation and ingenuity – and that gives both of us a
fierce sense of national pride.
Our commitment is to continue to use only top quality raw
materials, maintain stringent quality controls, pre-test all
products in our on-site lab, and above all, invest in ongoing
R&D.
We want to thank our clients, distributors, cross-Canada
dealer network and U.S. customers. We look forward to
partnering with you as we move forward together. From all of
us at Unigraph, we wish you a successful 2014.
–Mike Thibault, Vice President of Technical Services and John
Thibault, President, Unigraph International
In the early 1960s, Leo spearheaded efforts to take our
company international. He signed an agreement with Harry
H. Rogers of Chicago, obtaining the right to manufacture the
then world-famous line of Rogersol pressroom chemicals in
Canada. He also licensed Sun Chemical Corporation of New
York to produce Eezy-Kote, a line of pressroom chemicals for
litho. By the late 1960s, he had inked dealer agreements in
more than 25 countries. Our dad always reminded us that it
was very hard work, but well worth it.
Determined to continue our family’s tradition, he founded
Unigraph International Inc. in 1982 with our mother, Ann
Louise. He then brought both of us into the company, making
it three generations of family-run innovation.
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Unigraph’s Mike Thibault (left), Vice President of Technical Services, and John
Thibault, President.
GRAPHIC ARTS MAGAZINE | February 2014 | 25