TORONTO—Thistle Printing has confirmed it has bought the assets of MPH Graphics. The transaction was concluded last February.

Byan Hockaday, Thistle vice president and general manager, said MPH equipment, and some staff have been merged into the Thistle facility, but MPH will continue to function as a division of Thistle under its own name, with founder Stephen Pugh still in charge. "We were on a hunt for acquisitions," said Hockaday, "and MPH had enough commonality with our operation to make it a good fit." He also added that Thistle is still looking at other strategic acquisitions in order to grow the business.

Markham, Ont.-based MPH Graphics, one of the first printing companies to make a concerted commitment to environmental sustainability, announced it would undergo a sale process under the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act early this year. Stephen Pugh founded MPH in 1998, and at time of sale the company had grown to 20 employees.

Thistle is a full-service commercial printer established in 1931, with 67 full-time employees. It shares MPH's commitment to sustainability, having won several awards for its efforts. Services offered at the company include design, prepress, programming, data management, printing, bindery, mailing and fulfillment.