Written by Pedro Chaves
Creative Director & Marketing Specialist, Esko
North of Chicago, and north of Milwaukee, there is a valley.
A valley carved by slow, steady rivers, sheltered by whispering forests, and where mornings rise quietly through mist and history.
This is Paper Valley.
For the second episode of our documentary series, We are Flexo, Esko’s Eddy Fadel travels to Wisconsin’s Paper Valley, uncovering the roots and legacy of America’s printing heritage.
Stretching from Appleton to Green Bay, this region once vibrated with the relentless hum of paper mills, transforming pulp into pages, packaging, and possibility.
But as times changed, so did the valley.
Paper mills may have quieted, but this place never truly fell silent. Rather, it evolved.
Today, Paper Valley hums with a new energy: the confident, consistent rhythm of flexography. Everywhere you look, alongside highways and tucked into quiet corners, flexo printing plants thrive, each producing labels, flexible packaging, and cartons, pieces of everyday life sent out across the United States.
We listen closely to the stories of printers whose family members once walked the same factory floors, who now lead these plants themselves. Their craft, transformed by innovative solutions like the Esko CDI Crystal, XPS Crystal, and groundbreaking Quartz technology, has kept this region at the forefront of flexography. Machines here don’t simply print; they capture stories, traditions, and the aspirations of an entire industry.
As we further explore, it is clear why printers in this region speak of flexo not just as a job, but as a community built on collaboration, resilience, and pride. Even amid global challenges including tighter deadlines, rising costs, and changing market demands, the Paper Valley spirit remains strong, powered by technological advances that continually redefine what’s possible.
As Eddy drives through Paper Valley, he sees more than factories and printing presses. He sees passion in action, innovation that springs from necessity, and generations committed to their craft.
As the episode comes to a close, the Paper Valley recedes in the rearview mirror, but its story lingers, reminding us why we tell these stories at all: to celebrate the human spirit behind flexography.
Join us as we continue our journey, revealing more hidden gems in the world of flexo, because, together, We are Flexo.
