Katherine O’Brien Editor-in-Chief at American Printer wrote on the American Printer website, "American Printer has published its last issue. There won’t be a September issue. Penton, our parent company, stuck with us through some mighty lean months, but ultimately, there was no foreseeable model to achieve profitability."

The history of the American printing industry is in the pages of Inland/American Printer.

In her farewell letter, O’Brien provides a footnote with the history of the publication:

Published under the auspices of Henry O. Shepard’s printing company, INLAND PRINTER debuted in October 1883. A few years later, Shepard created the Inland Printer Co. to keep his printing plant and publishing activities separate. In addition to publishing the magazine, the Inland Printer Co. produced technical books for the trade and operated the Inland Printer Technical School.

Reeling from the Great Depression, the Inland Printer Co. sold the magazine to Tradepress Publishing Corp. in 1941. In 1945, Maclean-Hunter Publishing Corp. acquired INLAND PRINTER. In November 1958, Maclean Hunter acquired a New York-based publication, originally called THE AMERICAN PRINTER. In deference to the rapid growth of the offset lithographic industry, the magazine had changed its name to THE AMERICAN LITHOGRAPHER. The combined Maclean Hunter publications became THE INLAND and AMERICAN PRINTER AND LITHOGRAPHER.

In 1961, the magazine was renamed INLAND PRINTER/AMERICAN LITHOGRAPHER. Several other variations ensued. In January 1979, the title changed to AMERICAN PRINTER AND LITHOGRAPHER and was subsequently shortened to AMERICAN PRINTER in January 1982.