The Cudner & O’Connor Co. was founded in 1935 by H.E Cudner and Thomas O’Connor, former employees of the James B. Day Company, a Chicago based manufacturer of varnishes, shellacs and lacquer coatings for the furniture industry. Although Cudner & O’Connor's origins lie in furniture coatings, the founders were also tracking the growing interest in “silk screen” printable inks specifically formulated for water slide decals (also known as decalcomania). 

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After researching the technical characteristic required for a silk-screenable decal ink – printing, drying and application -  the partners reformulated one of the Company’s furniture lacquers to meet the quality demands of the silk-screen printer of that era.

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Currently, the  Cudner & O’Connor Company manufactures over twenty-five ink and coating products formulated to meet the requirements of the commercial and in-house screen printers. Some typical applications are in automotive, appliance and point-of-purchase industries, as well as nameplates, badging, architectural and decorative glass.

In addition, the Cudner & O’Connor Company offers in-house services such as color matching, custom ink formulation, toll blending and ink/substrate suitability testing.