Cardinal Brands Inc. will close its manufacturing operations in Topeka by early next year, closing all production in the city where the company’s roots were established 118 years ago.

Cardinal Brands, with headquarters at 643 Mass. in downtown Lawrence, announced today that it would continue its ongoing consolidation efforts regarding its manufacturing operations in Topeka. The company previously had announced moves of work to Cardinal plants in Mexico.

Today’s announcement calls for combining the company’s remaining operations in Topeka with Cardinal’s existing research and development unit in in the Kansas City metro area.

Equipment will be moved from Topeka by the end of the first quarter of 2008, at which time all manufacturing operations in Topeka will cease. The move will affect as many as 60 jobs, the company said.

“Our marketplace continues to rapidly change,” said Jeff Morgan, Cardinal’s executive vice president for operations, in a statement. “We have made several tough decisions regarding our Topeka operation over the last two years. We know this will be difficult for employees.”

The decision does not affect the Lawrence operation.

The announcement comes after Payless ShoeSource said last week that it would be closing its 850,000-square-foot Topeka distribution center in summer 2008, putting up to 550 people out of work.

Cardinal has been based in Lawrence since 2000, soon after the company was formed with the merger of Adams Business Forms Inc. in Topeka and Eagle OPG in St. Louis. Today the company designs, develops and manufactures business, consumer and hobby products including shipping forms, business etiquette cards, three-ring binders, scrapbooking materials and others.

Adams Business Forms had been founded in 1889 by three brothers inside their Topeka kitchen, cranking up a foot-powered press on their sister’s wedding day.

In 1999, the company had 350 employees working out of 200,000 square feet of warehouse, production and office space in downtown Topeka.

Today, the company has 1,600 employees overall, working in North America and Europe.