Nashua Corp. began to manufacture diskettes for computers in the 1970s and also acquired mail-order finishing companies. By 1977 Nashua Corp. had subsidiaries in ten countries and distribution in about 90 others. In the 1970s Nashua Corp. was the first U.S. Company to retain Dr. W. Edwards Demming, known now as the father of quality control and business effectiveness in the United States.
By the early 1980s the company employed about 6,000 persons worldwide including three facilities in New Hampshire and 14 plants around the world. Nashua Corp. was then made up of four main divisions: photo finishing, coated paper, office supplies and computer products. In addition to Merrimack, major production facilities were located in Omaha, Nebraska and Jefferson City, Tennessee.
In the years that followed the company divested non-core divisions to focus on specialty paper products, toner products and labels. In the 1990s Nashua Corp. became the nation's biggest supplier of thermal pressure-sensitive labels to the supermarket industry and also found a niche in remanufactured laser cartridges. By the mid 1990s, however, the company entered a period of contraction. By 1995 the company had sold its computer and tape products divisions and moved its headquarters from Nashua to Merrimack. The facility in Nashua continued to house the imaging division which made toner for printers and copiers while the Merrimack facility produced thermal-coated and fax paper. In 1997 the building at 34 Franklin Street was sold to the Grace Fellowship of Nashua. In 1998 the company sold its photofinishing operations and two years later sold most of its remaining buildings in downtown Nashua. They continued to use the North Store House until late 2005. The property was subsequently acquired by The Stabile Company.
In recent years Nashua Corp. has focused on labels and other specialty paper products including duct tape, deli labels and the paper used to print movie theater tickets. In September 2009 Nashua Corp. was sold to a Connecticut company, Conveo Inc., best known for labels and recognized as the country's third largest graphics communication company.
