Indianapolis-based HardingPoorman Group Inc. announced Monday that it has acquired Saint Clair Press, bringing together two of the area’s largest commercial printers.

HardingPoorman purchased Saint Clair from Houston-based Nationwide Graphics Inc., which owns more than a dozen commercial printing firms around the United States. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

HardingPoorman, which has about 165 employees, is the area’s fifth-largest commercial printer in terms of annual printing revenue, with sales of $24.9 million in 2008, according to IBJ research.

Saint Clair, founded in 1945, is No. 8 in the area with 2008 printing sales of $10.6 million.

David Harding, president of the HardingPoorman Group, said about 25 of St. Clair’s 45 employees will remain with the combined company.

The acquisition will allow HardingPoorman to increase its offset-printing resources and retail-printing capabilities. St. Clair’s offset-printing operations will be moved into HardingPoorman’s headquarters in Park 100. Its downtown building, at 1203 E. St. Clair St., will remain under ownership of Nationwide Graphics, which intends to sell the facility.

St. Clair makes retail products such as jigsaw puzzles, games, posters, greeting cards and magazines, as well as corporate materials like annual reports and brochures.

St. Clair joins SPG Graphics, Ropkey Graphics, Full Court Press and Discom Technologies as units of HardingPoorman.

Harding said it’s been a “difficult” time for commercial printers, with overall industry sales falling about 30 percent last year, but his company has been able to survive the storm by offering a mix of services through its numerous divisions. The St. Clair acquisition fits that strategy.

“We feel successful companies have to offer clients a wide variety of services,” he said.