The Eldridge plant employed 280 workers and printed textbooks, educational materials and government documents.

The employees were told the plant would begin shutting down July 31 and take about two months to fully end operations.

RR Donnelley indicated there will be severance packages available and is reportedly set to meet state government officials to discuss severance and other issues such as how unused holiday pay will be handled, all of which can impact the workers' ability to file for unemployment.

RR Donnelley did not respond to interview requests from PrintWeek, but the Chicago-based company has announced the closure of other plants this year, including its book printing and binding facility in Menasha, Wis, and a printing facility in South Bend, Ind, that will affect about 100 workers. Earlier this year the company shut down a telephone book printing plant in Greeley, Col, that employed 177.

RR Donnelley has seen its financials turn a corner recently as the economy slowly begins to improve. For the first quarter that ended March 31, it posted nearly US$34m in net earnings, though that was off from the US$52.6m it earned in Q1 2010, news reports noted.