New business fuels growth at Visual Print & Design

Expansion is set to continue at Lincoln-based Visual Print & Design following a series of council contract wins.

The digital and large-format printer has become an approved supplier for four local authorities situated in Wales, the east of England, London and the East Midlands. 

The new contracts will boost the firm’s turnover by around 30% over the next 12 months meaning the business is set to invest in more staff and kit in the new year.

Visual Print’s managing director, Graham Hunstone, commented: The last three months have marked a period of significant growth for the business and these recent contract wins are a testament to our highly skilled and hardworking team. 

“Because of this we're looking to hire a new graphic designer and production assistant at the start of 2020 and invest in a new bookletmaker and another promotional printing machine." 

The new council contracts add to the firm’s existing local authority work with the City of Lincoln, and Lincolnshire and Buckinghamshire County Councils. The work will include a mix of litho and digital print as well as large-format, exhibition products and branded merchandise. The business was unable to name the specific local authorities involved, due to contractual terms.

Visual Print employs 10 staff across two sites, its Lincoln HQ and a sales and support office between Glasgow and Edinburgh, which was opened in 2018

All print production takes place in its Lincoln site, which houses a Mutoh ValueJet VJ-626UF flatbed installed in February this year, a Mutoh ValueJet 1324X, a Xerox Color 770, a Xerox Versant 180 and a Documaster Pro bookletmaker, which will be replaced next year. 

The news follows the firm’s expansion in June this year into the second floor of its Sadler Road base, meaning it now fills the whole 4,500sqm unit, as well as a major rebrand and the appointment of a marketing manager to help push the business forward.

Visual Print & Design was originally set up in 2009 to provide print management services to businesses based in Lincolnshire. It moved into production in 2014 and acquired Derby-based Go Digital the following year. The business has sales of around £1m.