About Us
In 1947, Max Colegrove was back home fresh from the war and living in a new town. He had a wife, a child, and an idea. Using an insurance policy for collateral, he bought a mimeograph machine and supplies and taught himself how to use it. He set up shop in the hallway of the family’s apartment and walked up and down Main Street selling his idea to various local businesses, a local advertising paper, free to the public that made its money based solely on ad revenue. The idea was a hit and the very first Penny Saver was printed on 8.5” x 11” paper on January 7, 1947 and had 12 pages. That idea spawned a legacy and here we are 70 years later.
As the paper grew, so did the presses. From the mimeograph, printing moved to a small AB Dick sheet-fed offset press. The paper officially outgrew the hallway into the barn behind the house and Max had to hire some help. In 1969 they outgrew their space again when they upgraded to a Compugraphic “cold type” printing system that required a dark room. The Compugraphic system involved cutting and pasting articles into the page layout, shooting negatives of the pages and developing them, then having to opaque the blemishes out and finally printing them. Max often worked 18 hour days, getting ads during the day and then going back to print at night. In 1971, the presses switched from sheet fed to a web press and the paper size changed from half tab (8.5 x 11) to the tabloid size (11×17) you see today. When the Penny Saver grew from half tab to tabloid the name changed and it became the “Penny Saver Shopping Guide.”
He also knew that something had to be done to help their secretary with the billing and to keep the cash flowing, so the Penny Saver took a leap into the future and got their first computer, a Tandy Radio Shack, around 1980, taking billing from a 3 day process down to one.
In November of 2007, the paper was switched to a press in Towanda, PA and in March of 2015, the Penny Saver expanded back up to 2 sections to accommodate the growing demand for color ad space. January of 2022, brought a new change. Printing has moved to DuBois, PA to a press room that can accomodate more color pages, eliminating the need to pay for a second section.
Now 75 years later, copies of this weekly publication make their way into the homes and businesses of six counties including: Tioga, Bradford, Potter, Chemung, Steuben, and Northern Lycoming.
The Penny Saver still prides itself on personal one-to-one business experiences. We believe that working directly with our clients creates the best customer service and helps us deliver the highest quality work to suit their needs.
We offer more than just weekly advertising. We publish four Seasonal Event Guides a year which highlight the happenings in Tioga County, and our five surrounding counties. We also offer custom designs for promotional materials, logos, events, and personal needs.
Please let us know if we can assist you in developing or promoting your business or event!
