Merseyside Printing Company marks 100th year

Merseyside Printing Company will celebrate 100 years in business this summer by holding an exhibition of old and new photographs at Runcorn’s Heath Business Park.

Established in 1919 by Mr Ridge on Dale Street in Liverpool, the firm will mark 100 years in business by holding a small exhibition to show the growth of the printing industry over the past century in the Heath Business Park restaurant on 29-30 August.

The company was established in a fourth-floor room above Rigby’s pub in the city centre and thrived off the business brought in by the port, serving large companies such as the Bibby Line Shipping group and Tate & Lyle sugar company.

Merseyside Printing Company remained in the city centre until the mid-1980s when it was moved to Knowsley by second owner Gerry Lees, who bought the firm in 1974 for £7,000.

Current managing director John Dagnall bought the company in March 2000 having worked in the printing industry for 41 years prior to that.

He said: “I am very proud of the company’s growth, we are in a good situation currently, but I look forward to investing more into digital printing.

“The company started out using a letterpress but today everything is heavily computerised which has really accelerated our growth.

“Merseyside Printing Company has grown so much in the past century because we’ve built good relationships with our customers and have always provided a good service.”

When the company was established, it processed around 2,000 sheets per hour, but with its current staff of five and updated technology, it can process approximately 15,000 sheets per hour.