Trio of print professionals launch new company

Three well-known figures in the region’s printing industry have joined forces to launch a full production print firm, based in Lenton.

Print Co, headed by Justin Hallam and Helen Gaunt, has taken over a unit in Lenton Business Centre. This will house the creative, production, and print elements.

Hallam manages fitting while Gaunt oversees production management. They plan to increase their staff by at least two-thirds by the end.

Sales and marketing director, Andy Middleton, an industry veteran of some 35 years, who is also the regional director of Nottingham-based Catena Network, the business dating network, said: “Helen, Justin and I have worked together in various roles throughout our careers and have explored different career paths over the last five years or so. We felt the right time was to reunite, and offer something new for companies looking to raise their brand awareness.

“Whilst digital media seems to grab all the marketing headlines and is hugely powerful, print media and physical assets still have their place, especially when they dovetail with these campaigns and are integrated.”

In his role as director of Catena Nottinghamshire or “Nottingham Too” as it has been dubbed, Middleton has been working directly with SMEs across the region and the wider UK and feels that a decent percentage of work will also come from businesses seeking to add a physical asset into their client campaigns.

“It shouldn’t be a battle for budgets between digital and physical marketing assets – they can work wonderfully when they are aligned or they can operate very nicely in isolation too when crafted with care and executed with flair and expertise.

“Our core work will typically see us working on physical marketing pieces such as printing, signage, vehicle graphics and promotional merchandise but we are also getting a lot of enquiries from companies and office design firms that want to add a little “oomph” to their receptions, boardrooms and creative areas in terms of impactful graphics on a large scale.

“Gone are the days of relying on tired old offices. Innovative companies are creating work environments that will appeal to current and future employees. They need to feel energised about coming into the office, especially post-lockdown and with the rise of remote and hybrid working.”