The story of Roularta Printing begins in 1954 when Willy De Nolf and his wife Marie-Thérèse De Clerck acquired the flagging printing and publishing house who brought “De Roeselaarse Weekbode” and “Advertentie Roeselare” to its readers. The entrepreneurial duo immediately invested in additional production capacity and the small printing house soon became a fully-fledged commercial printer. The classified magazines experienced a strong expansion and to meet the growing demand, the company moved from its original location in Mariastraat to Meiboomlaan in 1964, where the first Plamag rotary press was installed in 1970.
The start of Knack
1971 was a turning point for the company. That year, Rik De Nolf started publishing Knack, Belgium’s first authentic news magazine. For the printing of the magazine, investments were made in a second-hand Newsmaster press and in new sheet-fed presses (two Nebiolo and two Planeta presses). The editorial pages were printed in black and white, the cover and publicity pages in four colours.
The first edition of Knack magazine, published in 1971.
A marriage made in heaven
In 1972, Rik De Nolf married Lieve Claeys, and his sister Caroline married Lieve’s brother Leo that same year. This cross-marriage brought a lot of synergies. Rik De Nolf was a born publisher, directing national advertising sales and following up with editorial content. Leo Claeys, in turn, was a born organiser with a solid technical background. Leo Claeys kept a tight investment schedule and was a fervent advocate of production monitoring systems to keep an eye on returns and optimise production.
More capacity for magazines
The Harris M1000 (a 32-page press with four colour units and one black-and-white) made its debut in 1977. In 1986, a cutter was placed on the outlet of this press, allowing the covers of magazines to be printed and finished on the machine, eliminating the need for sheet-fed presses.
Roularta Printing’s production hall, 1973.
Newspapers on the rise
The newspaper advertising segment experienced steady growth. The magazines evolved from the family model to eventually become local newspapers, like “De Streekkrant” At its peak, “De Streekkrant” reached a weekly circulation of no less than 2,600,000 copies. To keep up with the pace, two Harris Marinoni N1650 (a 4-unit press and a 6-units press) were commissioned in 1980 and 1981 respectively. Investment in a 4-colour 32-page Harris Marinoni M850 press followed in 1985, and a MAN Octoman (5 units and 2 dryers, short grain) in 1987. The latter was mainly used to print covers and 8-page sections showing the latest editorial content.
The basis for future success
Roularta Printing’s history shows a constant commitment to quality and innovation that has built the company’s solid reputation in the printing world. Roularta’s customers are confident that their publications are handled with the utmost care and with state-of-the-art technology. Roularta produces its own magazines and keeps production capacity available to fellow publishers such as Mediahuis. These collaborations have enabled the company to expand its expertise and increase its customer base, contributing to its ongoing success.
In our next blog, you will read about Roularta Printing’s recent history and its growth into an international player in the magazine and newspaper printing sector.