Wanzie Collins
Founder & CEO
Rette Collins
President
Christian Collins
Vice President
Carol Wilson
Business Manager
Mark Maddox
Production Manager

Our Company

It was during the Reconstruction Era following the Civil War that John W. Burke ventured into the printing business in Macon, Georgia. The Burke Company built a good reputation and grew to become one of Georgia’s leading printers. They did a full line of commercial printing, and book printing was their specialty. The skills of their craftsmen were well known.

Edward W. Burke, great nephew of the founder, spent most his youth in China where his father was a missionary. As a young man, he came to Macon to work at the Burke Company. After an apprenticeship, he became a salesman for the company and later managed their printing operations. Upon the closing of the Burke Company in 1959, Edward and many of the company’s craftsmen joined Southern Press. There he was held in high esteem and contributed significantly to that company’s success through his sales efforts.

Southern Press was formed in 1954, when the printing operations of the American Printing and Office Equipment Company were purchased. The combined talents of these men led to rapid growth of the company. It was one of the first printers in the Southeast to utilize sheet fed and web offset presses. The company gained prominence when it purchased assets of the Burke Company in 1959 and hired Edward Burke and many of his employees. .

Wanzie Collins joined Southern Press in 1961, where he worked in ad layout and composition. In 1968, Burke requested that Wanzie be assigned as his full time assistant. He was thinking of retiring and was preparing Wanzie to assume his sales position and accounts.

Time proved that Edward Burke had given Wanzie quite an opportunity. Burke’s accounts would later provide the foundation for him to become business owner. In 1973, he purchased a small, 4-man printing company and named it OmniPress. “Omni” is a Latin prefix meaning “covering all.” Customers were loyal and the company prospered. In 1979, he was able to purchase Southern Press. That acquisition included a heat set web publication press. By 1985, the name had evolved to Panaprint, Inc.

Wanzie’s two sons, W. Everette “Rette” Collins and Christian T. Collins, both joined the company in 1988. Rette currently serves as President, and Christian serves as Vice President and special projects director. Both share Wanzie’s passion for the printing industry. In 1978, Mark Maddox joined the company as a pressman. Today, he is a stockholder and vice president of production. Carolyn Wilson joined the company in 1987 as a bookkeeper. Today, she is a stockholder and corporate secretary-treasurer.

Panaprint Today

Panaprint boasts a 248,000 square foot, state of the art facility, containing two web presses and one 8-color sheetfed press, saddle-stitchers, perfect binder, in-house mailing, fulfillment services, shipping and receiving, an award winning design team, and expert customer service. Over 80 employees keep Panaprint operating at its full potential by using the most innovative technology to create unique, eye-catching, and inspiring print projects. Visitors are always welcome.

Our Legacy

Panaprint has become one of the leading printers in the Southeast. We will not forget that it was a long road to get here. We will strive to uphold the legacy left to us – a good name, a love for the craft, and a commitment to practice the Golden Rule.
We will not forget that it was a long road to get here. We will strive to uphold the legacy left to us - a good name, a love for the craft, and a commitment to practice the Golden Rule.