Trafford Press is branching into publishing by launching a company to write, design, print and distribute magazines and newsletters.


The Doncaster firm saw a niche for in-house company journals and created Trafford House Publications.


It specialises in print runs up to 15,000, but expects most to be under 5,000, said sales and marketing manager Steve Kitchman.


"We wanted to go the whole way rather than be a printer playing at it," he said.


Kitchman and general managing director Richard Hollings use freelance writers for articles which are then designed on G4 Macs.


They have won two contracts. The first is for 1,500 copies of papermaker Tullis Russell's quarterly 20pp newsletter, TRQ. Northern Foods' Community Review is a 2,000-run title.


Repro work is carried out on 100,000 of Agfa kit it recently acquired. It includes a Phoenix 2250 imagesetter, Sherpa 24 digital contract proofer and T5000 scanner.


Printing is done on a five-colour Roland 300, and Kitchman aims to win four new publications a year.


"We won't compete with big players but have the gear to take on smaller publishers, charities or organisations."


Story by Jez Abbott