Develops and produces decor papers, finish foils, impregnated papers, decor printing inks and additives for wood-based surfaces.
impress Surfaces GmbH
Aschaffenburg (DE) · St. Veit/Glan (AT) · Sant Pere de Vilamajor (ES) · Elk (PL) · Araucária (BR) · Shouguang (CN) · Design offices: Guangzhou (CN), Bogotá (CO), Istanbul (TR), Philadelphia (US)New on Amplifa
About impress
impress Surfaces GmbH, headquartered in Aschaffenburg, is the holding company and group headquarters of the impress Group, a globally active manufacturer of decors for wood-based surfaces. The Group develops and produces decor papers by rotogravure printing, finish foils made of pre-treated specialty papers (PRIP), impregnated papers based on melamine and urea formaldehyde resins, as well as its own decor printing inks (Tabersperse) and additives such as resin hardeners, resin stabilizers and wetting agents. Target industries are the furniture, flooring and wood-based panel industries as well as interior fitting. Production takes place in St. Veit/Glan (Austria), Sant Pere de Vilamajor (Spain), Elk (Poland), Araucária (Brazil) and Shouguang (China), complemented by design offices including in Aschaffenburg, Istanbul, Shanghai, Bogotá and Philadelphia. With a printing capacity of around 850 million m² per year, more than 200 new decor developments are created annually. The company emerged from the pioneers MASA Berlin (1928, inventor of decor rotogravure printing) and Letron Aschaffenburg (1963).
- Site
- Aschaffenburg
- Processes
- Rotogravure decor printing (decor papers), Production of finish foils (pre-treated specialty papers PRIP), Impregnation of papers with resin solutions (melamine/urea formaldehyde resins), sheet and, Production of decor printing inks (Tabersperse pigment dispersions/ink solutions), Production of additives (resin hardeners, resin stabilizers, resin modifiers, wetting and release, Inline coating of decor papers, In-house engraving (for decor printing cylinders), Decor and product development / trend scouting
- Materials
- Decor paper, Specialty paper (PRIP), Melamine formaldehyde resin, Urea formaldehyde resin, Formaldehyde (37%, liquid), Morpholine (liquid), MDF, HDF
- Certificates
- ISO 14001, ISO 50001, Certified quality (15 years, ISO 9001 according to news), ISO 9001 (according to news, 15 years certified quality)
- Founded
- 1928
- Employees
- Over 900
- Industries
- Furniture industry, Flooring industry, Wood-based panel industry, Interior fitting
- 01
Trend scouting and decor development
- 02
Paper procurement from certified sources
- 03
Rotogravure decor printing
- 04
In-house engraving of printing cylinders
- 05
Production of decor printing inks and additives
- 06
Resin production and paper impregnation
- 07
Inline coating / finish foil production
- 08
Worldwide distribution, contract impregnation and customer service
Materials and Processes
Decor paper
Rotogravure-printed paper used as a surface decor for furniture, flooring and room elements.
Specialty paper (PRIP)
Pre-treated specialty paper for finish foils, whose surface already defines that of the end product.
Melamine formaldehyde resin
Resin solution for impregnating decor and specialty papers; forms the surface and the bond to the substrate.
Urea formaldehyde resin
Resin solution for impregnation, in particular for use on wood-based materials.
Decor printing inks (Tabersperse)
Pigment dispersions and ink solutions for paper manufacturing, impregnation and board production.
Additives
Resin hardeners, stabilizers, modifiers, wetting and release agents for targeted optimization of product properties.
Locations
Aschaffenburg
DEGroup HQ, decor development, design office, shared service center
St. Veit/Glan
ATProduction of impregnated papers, additives
- Materials
- Melamine/urea formaldehyde resins
- Impregnation lines with WERO heat recovery system
- Formaldehyde tank farm
Sant Pere de Vilamajor
ESProduction of decor papers, decor printing inks; engraving; Customer Coloration Center
- Materials
- Decor paper
- Rotogravure printing presses
- Inline coating (via group)
- Engraving
Elk
PLProduction of decor papers, finish foils; sales office
- Materials
- Decor paper
- Inline coating line (2016)
Araucária
BRProduction of decor papers, finish foils, impregnated papers, decor printing inks
Shouguang
CNProduction of decor papers
- Materials
- Decor paper
Guangzhou
CNDesign office
Bogotá
CODesign office
Istanbul
TRDesign office
Philadelphia
USDesign office
Industries
Processes & technical limits
| Processes | Tolerance | Max. part | Weight | Lot size | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rotogravure decor printing (decor papers)Surface | – | – | – | – | Decor paper |
| Production of finish foils (pre-treated specialty papers PRIP)Surface | – | – | – | – | Specialty paper (PRIP) |
| Impregnation of papers with resin solutions (melamine/urea formaldehyde resins), sheet andSurface | – | – | – | – | Decor paper, Specialty paper, Melamine formaldehyde resin, Urea formaldehyde resin |
| Production of decor printing inks (Tabersperse pigment dispersions/ink solutions)Surface | – | – | – | – | Paper, Melamine formaldehyde resin, Urea formaldehyde resin, MDF, HDF, OSB, Plywood, Particleboard |
| Production of additives (resin hardeners, resin stabilizers, resin modifiers, wetting and releaseSurface | – | – | – | – | Melamine formaldehyde resin |
| Inline coating of decor papersSurface | – | – | – | – | Decor paper |
| In-house engraving (for decor printing cylinders)Engineering | – | – | – | – | – |
| Decor and product development / trend scoutingEngineering | – | – | – | – | – |
| Pressing of impregnated papers onto wood-based materials (high pressure and high temperature)Surface | – | – | – | – | Wood-based material |
3 Anlagen & Maschinen
| Machine | Manufacturer / model | Quantity | Working area | Year built | Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inline coating line | – | – | – | 2016 | Elk, Poland (impress Decor Polska) |
| Impregnation lines with heat recovery system (WERO heat exchanger) | – | – | – | – | St. Veit/Glan, Austria (impress Decor Austria) |
| Plant for the production of impregnated decor papers (with formaldehyde tank farm) | – | – | – | – | St. Veit/Glan, Austria (impress Decor Austria) |
Additional services
Quality and Certifications
The St. Veit/Glan plant is certified to ISO 14001 and ISO 50001; since 2011 paper has been sourced exclusively from certified sources. According to its own statements, there is a long-standing certified quality inspection (ISO 9001 according to company news).
| Evidence | St. Veit/Glan |
|---|---|
| ISO 14001 | |
| ISO 50001 | |
| ISO 9001 (according to news, 15 years certified quality) |
History
- 1928
Founding of MASA Decor in Berlin (inventor of decor rotogravure printing)
- 1963
Founding of Letron in Aschaffenburg
- 1985
Acquisition by Constantia Industries AG
- 2000
Founding of Letron Inc. in North Charleston (USA)
- 2006
Merger of Letron and the MASA Decor Group to form the impress Group
- 2007
Integration of impress Decor Austria
- 2010
Expansion of the Aschaffenburg shared service center; expansion of the Brazil and Poland sites; strategic realignment of the Group
- 2011
ISO 14001 and ISO 50001 certification of the Austrian plant; paper sourced exclusively from certified sources
- 2012
Founding of impress surfaces GmbH Aschaffenburg
- 2013
New shareholder: investment fund IPOPEMA 76
- 2016
Inline coating line in Elk; Customer Coloration Center in Sant Pere de Vilamajor
- 2018
Opening of the Istanbul design office
- 2020
Formaldehyde-free finish foil
- 2023
In-house engraving in Sant Pere de Vilamajor; launch of ESG project
- 2025
Membership in the UN Global Compact (since February 2025)
- 2026
Publication of the first ESG report