One of Auckland’s iconic printers has recently installed an HP Indigo 3550.

Barry and Karena Pressley established Pressprint in 1972 and, since then, they’ve grown the company into one of Auckland’s most respected print businesses, one that fits the description of a family-based company. Along with Barry and Karena Pressley, the management team includes their son Jason (pictured), general manager; daughter Petina, accounts manager; and son-inlaw Eugene, production manager.With a staff of 40, the medium-sized company owns its own purpose-built 16,000 sq ft premises in Mt Eden Road. Its list of long-term clients includes leading print brokers and advertising agencies that represent some of the best-known companies and brands in New Zealand.

Fully capitalised, Pressprint maintains strong relationships with its bankers and key suppliers including the country’s major paper, ink and printing machinery companies. Jason Pressley says, “We are constantly reviewing and updating our plant and equipment.” The company has a strong tradition in print. Like other printers, it found the trend for shorter runs and quicker turnarounds meant a need for careful consideration when it came to investing in new plant. Pressley says, “We cater for offset and digital, going from short runs up to where China or the big boys take over. Because the market is saturated for long runs, we believed a high-end digital press was the solution. A3 is where the market lies for offset and digital and we knew what machine would deliver the results required. We know that the Indigo is the best digital machine in terms of reproducing offset quality.” AM International undertook the installation in early August. Pressley says, “With the installation process, both companies worked together to make it a smooth transition. AM International’s pre-installation planning was comprehensive and the implementation process went smoothly.

Pressley believes that Pressprint’s operation as a family-based company gives it a distinct focus. He says, “We want to deliver a complete print package and that requires personal service combined with an outstanding level of professionalism at every step of the production process. “For example, customer relationships matter to us. Our clients say that they appreciate how we treat them as people, rather than just being a number. They say that quite often and we value that. We listen carefully to what our valued customers require, then we plan, consult and recommend the best approach for a particular job. People who come to us with a job aren’t going through a mass corporate system. Some of our customers go back 10-20 years."

He adds "Completing the wide range of work that we do means a requirement for offset quality. Print buyers demand short to medium runs profitably while maintaining the highest quality and the press has actually exceeded our expectations in this regard.”

This article first appeared in the October 2011 issue of New Zealand Printer magazine; republished here with the kind permission of Printer Magazines Group.