Walsworth marketing and communications VP Alex Blackwell, told PrintWeek, "We’ve entered into an agreement to purchase Ovid Bell, but the acquisition has not gone through. The estimated close date is December 31 of this year."

Blackwell said he could not comment on how Ovid Bell will be integrated into Walsworth until the deal was completed, but added: "We’re excited about the opportunity to acquire Ovid Bell Press and right now we’re heads down going through the due diligence process to make sure it’s the right fit for all parties."

Ovid Bell CEO John Bell was the first to break the news, issuing a press release announcing the purchase agreement and adding that he would remain on as head of Ovid Bell’s operations upon completion of the deal.

Ovid Bell’s Fulton plant features heat-set web presses for the bulk of its periodical work, including in-line UV coating, with back-up sheet-fed presses for inserts and other ancillary projects.

"Under this new ownership, The Ovid Bell Press will be able to grow faster and offer our clients added benefits," Bell noted. "All sales and customer service representative assignments will remain the same. All pricing and contracts currently being used will stay intact.

"All paper stocks currently used will continue to be used in the production of your publication. Production schedules will remain the same and invoices will still be generated from The Ovid Bell Press."

Walsworth was founded in 1937 and currently employs 1,250 people. The company is the only American- and family-owned publisher of yearbooks, while also producing trade, association and specialty magazines as well as business-to-business and business-to-consumer catalogs.

In addition to its printing and binding facilities in Marceline, Walsworth also has a prepress facility in Brookfield, Mo., a sales and marketing office in Kansas City, Mo., and a printing facility in Saint Joseph, Mich. The Donning Company Publishers in Virginia Beach, Va., a specialty book publisher, is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Walsworth.