SUSSEX, Wis. — As buzz surrounding the Milwaukee Brewers builds ahead of the team’s first World Series appearance in 44 years, a different type of buzz builds at the global headquarters of a major Southeast Wisconsin manufacturer.
Much of the 1.7 million square foot Quad printing facility in Sussex was dedicated October 20 to churning out copies of the official 2026 World Series program, the first such program in the company’s 25 years as the official printer for Major League Baseball to feature the Brewers.
While the exact number of copies that are to be produced is a closely-kept secret by MLB, Quad customer service manager Rick Cowan agreed when asked by WTMJ if “a heck of a lot” was an accurate description.
“I was very elated, very excited,” says Cowan about when the Brewers officially punched their World Series ticket last week. Cowan offered WTMJ an exclusive first look at the 2026 World Series program October 20.
It’s a dream come true, says Cowan, for his boyhood team to be featured on the front of one of his company’s signature products.
The program printing process begins as soon as both World Series teams are determined, meaning there exist no theoretical copies of a program featuring the Los Angeles Dodgers and Cleveland Guardians, says Cowan.
Each group of pages goes through the same assembly line-style process, including being sent through machines such as the perfect binder and the three knife trimmer. At one point, the programs are bound with hot glue and then sent airborne to cool and dry for about 40 seconds before employees box the booklets for distribution and shipping to Milwaukee and Tampa.
Contained within the 176 pages of the 2026 program are several Brewers-centric features, an MLB season review, a tribute to the America250 celebration, and the all-important World Series rosters and blank scorecards. While other sections of the program can be planned weeks before it goes to print, it’s those specialty features that require waiting until both teams are determined.
While sporting a Brewers cream jersey for an interview, Cowan says around this time of year he feels he’s the most recognized person at the facility.
“Once I get all my printing instructions and I submit it to the rest of the plant, I walk through and I can see the excitement in every single department,” he says. “Everyone recognizes me because they know ‘Hey that’s the guy that’s doing the World Series programs’, everyone is walking over to me and asking questions. I really feel the excitement in every single department throughout the company.”
The baseball program itself can trace its origins to the late 19th century. According to the Baseball Hall of Fame, British-born entrepreneur Harry Stevens made a name for himself at ballparks of the era by offering individual scorecards to fans during games at venues in Pittsburgh, Washington, and New York City. Over time, the product would grow to include advertisements, player biographies, and teams’ upcoming schedules. Every World Series dating back to 1903 between the Boston Americans and Pittsburgh Pirates has included an official program, making them important collectors items for fans building their own shrine of memories from any one year’s Fall Classic.
Cowan says as a piece of physical media, the program maintains a connection to the storied past of the sport in an increasingly digital world.
“It’s a collector’s piece. A lot of people will want a collector’s piece on their coffee tables, they might want it in their bookshelf to keep forever knowing that they were a part of the 2026 Brewers and they’ll have that in their hands,” he says.
Cowan adds the feeling of watching the Brewers programs roll through is extra special after years of coming up just short. He remembers the feeling during the 2018 National League Championship Series when the Brewers were beaten by the Dodgers in seven games.
“2018 I was very excited because we were within one game of making the World Series, but since then I’ve been a bit disappointed each year because they just couldn’t get over the hump of beating the Dodgers or the big market teams,” he says. “So it’s very exciting that this year they were able to do that.”
When asked what he believes the 2026 Brewers’ legacy will be regardless of the World Series outcome, Cowan pointed to the quote made by manager Pat Murphy after the team clinched the NL pennant.
“[The team’s] a bunch of gamers. I thought Pat Murphy summed it up perfectly with calling the team a bunch of gamers,” says Cowan.
Fans eager to get their hands on a copy of the 2026 World Series program can do so beginning Thursday, October 22, at the Brewers’ team stores or online at MLBShop.com.
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