Features

The intense media spotlight on London 2012 has left next month's Beijing Games in its shadow. When the Chinese event begins on 8 August, the reverse may be true for our nation's sportspeople, left in...

Talk to people about the current climate for mergers and acquisitions (M&A) and you get a mixed message. The credit crunch and its impact on the print sector are serving in equal measure as spur and...

Phillip Bradbury, managing director of The Direct Printing Company (TDPC), entered the print industry in the mid-'90s and almost at once found he was running a successful business. But by the early...

Having a 1.5m press fall through the floor would be enough to dampen the spirits of even the most tenacious printer. Family-run firm Richard Edward, however, has made a theme of overcoming disaster,...

They say you only appreciate some things when they're gone, and this certainly applies to ink. The ubiquitous pigment makes the difference between a blank sheet of paper and a valued printed product,...

You've probably heard of 'food miles'; well, 'print miles' will soon be central to a printer's business and environmental strategies. With oil prices soaring and environmental concerns increasingly...

Gone are the days when a print firm could boost its business simply by installing a better press; clients are now more demanding and premium quality is expected to come as standard.

Have you heard the one about the rise of automation in printing, asks Neil Parr-Davies, digital services manager at Cambrian Printers. In the not-too-distant future, he says, the only handlers manning...

Can a business sign up to the socialist ideals of a workers co-operative yet achieve capitalist success? Surely not. Unless you take into account that last year, the UKs highest profile workers co-op,...

When chief executive Tony Jones joined Pensord in March 2000, his brief from owners Allen, McGuire & Partners was simple: to steady a floundering ship. During those early years, Jones admits survival...

An increasingly influential green lobby, growing consumer awareness of environmental issues and an eco-obsessed media are some of the factors that have led to growing pressure on the printing industry...

Few business people will have escaped the impact of the tightened security at UK airports imposed in response to the terrorist attacks in August 2006. Hand-luggage restrictions made it almost...

If there was any doubt, the ongoing consolidation of large-format digital inkjet suppliers is a sure sign of a sector attaining maturity. But while there are fewer options for sourcing hardware,...

Seven years ago Derek Faint, managing director of Essex-based SME Redlin Print was faced with a stark decision: either increase the size of his firm or risk becoming just another printer ripe for...

Joe Killmurray, one of the directors of Acton-based B2 printer Boss, was told that the firm shouldnt have picked that name: surely the client ought to be boss, not the printer. Nevertheless, the firm...