What was the job?

Howitt, awarded the contract following a competitive tender run by Transport for London on behalf of London Elects and the Greater London Returning Officer, printed, bound and enclosed over 5.9m booklets. These were distributed across Greater London between 14-25 April. The booklets contained information on the seven mayoral candidates,  the London Assembly candidates, and the voting process.

How was the job produced?
A Heidelberg Harris M600 was used for printing; a Heidelberg ST300 for binding and a Buhrs 700 for enclosing.

What challenges were overcome?
Much of the booklets’ contents were not finalised until a day before Howitt needed to go to print, so flexibility was key. Final artwork was not available until 4 April. Howitt had to produce, place in addressed envelopes, prepare for delivery and dispatch the first 1m copies by 13 April. The rest had to be available for posting by 23 April.

What was the feedback?
London Elects communications manager Sarah Garrett said the mayoral booklet was the most challenging part of the London Elects campaign because of the short time frames available. "But Howitt helped us find the most cost-effective way of producing the booklets without compromising on quality," she added.