August 1, 1884 is a warm day. George H. Buchanan opens his doors at 420 Sansom Street in Philadelphia to begin providing outstanding printing for his customers. The Civil War is a recent memory,  Bell is starting work on his telephone, and the "horse-less carriage" has yet to be invented. Buchanan prospered at Sansom Street until his death in 1923.

Loyal assistant Charles L. Kinsley stepped in and the business continued to grow as he acquired more modern presses and typesetting equipment. Kinsley also began to establish a customer base of some of the area's most prestigious firms: Penn Mutual Life Insurance Company, F.A. Davis Company, Philadelphia Museum of Art, The Philadelphia Contributionship, Home Life Insurance Company, Rotary Club of Philadelphia, Provident Mutual Life Insurance Company, Temple University, Provident Trust, and Land Title Insurance along with many others, too numerous to list. Mr. Kinsley was joined in the firm by two sons, John Rae Neil (who died in 1925) and Arthur H.,  who eventually succeeded his father.

In September 1932 the firm moved to a larger building at 44 North 6th St. -- the Central Building. It was here that the firm established a special relationship with the F.A. Davis Company, a medical publisher. Kinsley purchased several printing presses from Davis and was successful in obtaining the printing of the Cyclopedia of Medicine series, long published by Davis. The printing order included 14 volumes and index, with page counts ranging from 800 to 1,000 and a press run of 1,000 copies. This business continued well into the 1950's and established the firm as a leading producer of medical and scientific printing. Many other Davis titles filled the Buchanan warehouse, over the years.

Following Kinsley's death in April 1944, during World War II, his son Arthur succeeded him. These were stressful times for the company. There was a shortage of manpower (most men were serving in the armed forces) as well as a shortage of paper and other materials that were being used in the war effort.

A.H., or Capt. Kinsley as he was known, was dynamic and personable. He helped found the PAL (Police Athletic League), Prisoners Family Welfare Association, and was president of Printing Industries of Philadelphia and Printing Industries of America. A. H. Kinsley died in 1965 shortly after the firm relocated to 23rd and Washington Avenue in Philadelphia, a move necessitated by the construction of Independence Mall.

Under the leadership of Charles L Kinsley (AHK's nephew) and John Patton, the firm transformed from letterpress printing to offset lithography. Kinsley and Patton, veterans of World War II, were energetic and their rapport and goodwill toward their employees was a plus for the growing firm. The Company also gave up its traditional linotype composition in favor of film composition and upgraded the prepress and sales area.

Upon Kinsley and Patton's retirement in the mid 70's, Carl Zweigle, Jr. became company President and Aldo Saggese, Vice President and Treasurer. During their watch the company established itself as an industry force in the area. They added multi-color presses, installed a complete book binding line and fulfillment capability.

Carl Zweigle III joined the business in the late 70's and was followed by his brother, Gregory, in 1990. Zweigle III is the current President and Gregory along with W. Robert Strauss are Vice Presidents. This team is charged with keeping Buchanan in its preeminent position in the area's graphic arts industry as well as maintaining its leadership in the constantly changing world of presenting the printed word for its customers.