STAMFORD, Conn., March 1 -- MeadWestvaco Corporation today announced that it has purchased the All Purpose(TM) Litho (APL) product line, brand, formulas and customer base from SMART Papers in Hamilton, Ohio. Terms were not disclosed. "I am excited to announce this expansion of our already vibrant line of Coated One Side (C1S) papers for MeadWestvaco," said Jim Tyrone, senior vice president, Sales and Marketing for MeadWestvaco Papers Group. "This acquisition allows us to bolster the strong position of our Sterling Ultra and Sterling Litho C1S papers in an important market segment -- providing excellent service and product offerings for customers." As part of the transition and to provide service continuity to its customers, SMART Papers will continue manufacturing APL through April 2004, and will do some converting and distribution of the product through July 2004. SMART Papers, one of North America's largest independent producers of premium coated and uncoated printing papers, was formed in February 2001 from the former Champion International headquarters mill north of Cincinnati, Ohio. Now entering its fourth year of operations, privately held SMART has successful modernized its flagship brands Kromekote, Knightkote Matte, Carnival and Benefit. SMART has also developed one of the industry's largest offerings of cast-coated and uncoated papers for digital laser and inkjet printing equipment under the brand SMART Digital. MeadWestvaco offers a full line of C1S papers in a variety of grades and basis weights that demonstrate unsurpassed performance in a variety of applications including glue-applied labels, litho lamination, book dust jackets, envelopes and specialty converting processes. The company's C1S products are known for their desirable aesthetics and reliable consistency -- enabling printers and converters to achieve greater efficiency. MeadWestvaco C1S product offerings include the market leading products Sterling Ultra C1S, Sterling Litho C1S and Oxford C1S. MeadWestvaco Papers Group is the second largest coated paper producer in North America.