Author: Joe Billingham

B&Q are a household name – they are the leading home improvement and garden retailer in the UK and Europe. In late July 2024, colour variations over their range of brochures led them to seek the support of Belmont Press. Joe Billingham attended an initial consultation meeting at B&Q headquarters in Eastleigh, to discuss their immediate requirements and explore the areas of concern that troubled the marketing and design teams.

B&Q have a suite of publications following a brand palette with colour consistency vital to maintain brand cohesion and integrity. Joe detailed the Impress Bar technology that is in-built within our state-of-the-art Heidelberg print presses. This technology measures and records colour every 7 sheets automatically re-calibrating to achieve colour continuity throughout the entire print run. Within a week, Belmont Press was awarded a the contract to produce the company’s flagship kitchen brochure. This was a large requirement for 125,000 copies of a 196pp PUR bound publication.

Lee Cameron, the dedicated account manager assigned to B&Q, immediately placed the paper order with our approved suppliers which arrived the next day to avoid any potential supply issues. As requested by the B&Q team, artwork was sent to Lee to action a machine wet proof. This would allow the design team to view a selection of colour critical pages produced on the actual paper and press used for the main print run.

Upon supply and approval of the scatter proofs for colour, the full kitchen brochure artwork was flight checked and Lee gave our repro team instructions to correct the spine width. A PDF proof of the full publication was sent for approval and swiftly passed to release to press. Due to the colour critical and sensitive nature of the project, arrangements were made for the B&Q team to come to Belmont Press to press-pass the project live in production.

During the live press-pass both Joe Billingham and Lee Cameron attended to the B&Q team, explaining technicalities and offering advice during the process. The press-pass in total extended for two days as each of the 13 text sections was scrutinised individually. Some colour tweaks could be made directly within the press settings, whilst others were referred to our in-house reprographics team to adjust within the artwork files. These were then re-entered on press to ensure the colours met the exact requirements needed.

A brand colour standard has now been achieved and set, and a programme created for all presses which will be used for all future literature produced on behalf of B&Q. Joe Billingham personally presented file copies of the kitchen brochure to B&Q’s Directors at their Eastleigh headquarters which was met with positive feedback. Lee Cameron has since successfully managed and produced several other projects received from B&Q’s marketing contacts. The Belmont Press team met the very specific needs of B&Q with professionalism, and assured quality and delivery management. We look forward to developing this relationship further, enhancing our reputation as a reliable, reactive, and trusted print partner.

Historic Royal Palaces is an independent charity that manages six of the United Kingdom's royal palaces, five in London and one in Northern Ireland. The palaces attract millions of visitors each year to Hampton Court Palace, The Tower of London, Kew Palace, Kensington Palace, Banqueting House and Hillsborough Castle.

In December 2023 Belmont Press Limited were proud to have been chosen as Historical Royal Palaces print partner after an in depth formal tender process. The contract would cover all signage as well as visitor maps and general print requirements for their six world renowned sites and would also lead to us working together, with a view to bringing the printing and fulfilment of all membership communications in house.

Prior to Belmont securing our place as HRP’s preferred partner, they had enjoyed a long term relationship with a trusted existing print supplier. So when the time came to go out to formal tender and switch suppliers, it was vitally important there was no interruption in service. This was not lost on our team, we were mindful of making any transition as smooth as possible, offering support, advice and ensuring the trust placed in us paid off for the HRP team.

At contract commencement we immediately assigned a dedicated expert team of two contacts, internal and external, to implement a robust transition management plan, project manage all requirements, and nurture the beginnings of a supportive and robust relationship.

The transition management plan was sensitively implemented and ensured excellent collaboration with HRP and their previous print supplier. The professionalism of all parties ensured a seamless switch of production to Belmont Press on 1^st March 2024.

Our London office played a key role in communication throughout this time along with the lead senior account manager dedicated to the 80 person Historic Royal Palace team. Since contract commencement, we have successfully produced and delivered 237 different projects for HRP, on time and on budget.

HRP's procurement lead had this to say about her experience on the transition: -

"Overall, we chose Belmont  to hold the contract as they offered quality products and pricing, in what was a highly competitive tender. Furthermore, Belmont’s ethos is very much compatible with Historic Royal Palaces. The transition was seamless, which was primarily due to all three parties delivering their work packages on time and to standard. HRP provided all the information and internal comms to allow Belmont to begin on the start date with no problems, and Belmont, with their experience delivered excellently. The incumbent supplier was also extremely affable during the changeover, which helped to enable everything to work so well."

Collingwood Lighting has specialised in LED technology since 2002, producing the first high-performance fire-rated LED downlight in 2008 which revolutionised the industry.

LED lights are extremely energy-efficient which reduces CO2 emissions significantly.

As an innovative, environmentally sensitive company, Collingwood Lighting required a print partner with impeccable green credentials, which mirrored the ethos of their own environmental policies, to produce their latest catalogue.

Belmont Press has demonstrated its commitment to continuous improvement in environmental performance for over a quarter of a century. We have been certified to the internationally recognised ISO14001 Standard, FSC and PEFC schemes since 2006.

Together with our latest investments in print technology, renewable energy, and carbon reduction strategies, all operations at Belmont Press were certified as carbon neutral in 2022, with ambitions to be certified carbon zero by the middle of 2024. Collingwood Lighting therefore had no hesitation in approaching Belmont Press to produce their flagship publication.

In support of the World Land Trust, (WLT,) Belmont Press procured carbon balanced paper to be used for the production of the substantial 492pp A4 catalogue. The WLT is an international conservation charity that protects the world’s threatened habitats. All of their forest protection and restoration projects have measured and verified positive benefits for communities, climate impact, and biodiversity conservation.

In supporting the WLT in this way, Collingwood Lighting were also able to use a recognised WLT logo within their publication, under-pinning their green policy statement to current and prospective clients.

As a reference publication subject to continued use, the print brief required the outer covers of the catalogue to be given some sort of protection. To ensure the highest possible environmental standards were maintained, this was achieved by using Cellogreen Matt Laminate which has all the benefits of a standard film laminate but is sustainable, biodegradable, and can be recycled. Cellogreen lamination is an eco-film that is made from highly refined wood pulp sourced from the Sustainable Forestry Initiative’s managed forests.

The requirement for longevity of the publication was achieved by PUR binding which is approximately 2.5 times stronger than perfect binding. PUR binding is more durable and offers greater stability as the catalogue ages. PUR glue is solvent free and therefore does not emit any solvent emissions during the process.

As well as being produced using the most environmentally sensitive production methods, the catalogue for Collingwood Lighting also had to be fit for purpose as a reference guide for their clients. The foredge was therefore tab index cut in 13 positions to create defined sections for each lighting category.

Upon completion, a number of catalogues were required for mailing purposes which were enclosed into ColomPac Wraps. These postal wraps are climate neutral and FSC certified whilst offering maximum safety and protection of the catalogue in transit. ColomPac Wraps are 100% recyclable.

Collingwood Lighting explained why partnering with Belmont Press was so important to them in upholding their environmental principles:

“Here at Collingwood Lighting, sustainability is at the core of everything we do, we aim to become Carbon Neutral by 2030. We use Belmont because of their core values. Working with an environmentally aware printer helps to reduce our own carbon footprint and contributes to saving the planet. This allows us to send out marketing materials to our customers, knowing that we are doing the right thing.”

Cirencester College is a specialist sixth form college in a rural setting on the outskirts of Cirencester, Gloucestershire.  One of only three designated specialist Sixth Form Colleges in the Southwest, the College is one of the top ranking Sixth Form Colleges in the country.

Belmont Press have an established relationship with Cirencester College spanning over a 15-year period. In June this year we were delighted to be working with Cirencester again to produce the 2023 Freshers Magazine. This 20pp A5 sized magazine provides essential information for first-year students.

The artwork was very well prepared by the college team and passed through our online artwork processing portal with no file error warnings.

As well as preflight checks, our portal offers the opportunity for artwork to be viewed in page turner format which helps clients visualise and examine image spreads and style format.

The magazine was to be printed on 120gsm uncoated paper stock with the additional requirement of a coater to be applied throughout the publication. This was achieved using our XL75 Heidelberg Press equipped with an in-line coating unit.

Upon successful completion in production, the finished magazine was transferred to our dedicated internal fulfilment and mailing team which are located on our premises.

Our team are adept at managing varied and complex mailings, handling multiple projects with mixed quantities of recipients and different mailing drop date requirements every week.

Just over 2,500 copies were poly wrapped in recyclable clear material, sealed with postage label attached.  These were mailed on an economy service to suit the college’s budget whilst maintaining the required delivery date. A further smaller quantity was delivered to the campus for internal distribution.

The Head of Marketing & Communications at Cirencester College, had this to say about the experience of working with Belmont Press:

"Belmont produce various publications for us, from A5 magazines to College prospectuses. Good turnaround time, trust, quality, service, and colour consistency are all really important to us.

The team always provide excellent customer service, quick responses to requests and they are always accommodating.  They also help us work through and resolve any issues/problems and generate new ideas for our projects.

All of our joint projects have been well received.  Having worked together for circa 15 years, I would highly recommend Belmont Press to others."

The University of Plymouth is a cutting-edge, vibrant institution with a long history in education going back to 1862. The university is well known for its first class, cutting-edge research, education, and innovation. Plymouth is one of the top ten UK young universities, according to the Times Higher Education Young University Rankings 2021, with a mission to advance knowledge and impact lives.

Prior to Belmont securing a place on the official framework in 2022, the university had enjoyed a very long term relationship with a trusted local print partner. So when the time came to go out to formal tender and switch suppliers, understandably there was apprehension. This wasn't lost on our team, we were mindful of making any transition as smooth as possible, offering support, advice and ensuring the trust placed in us paid off for the university print team.

At contract commencement we immediately assigned a dedicated expert team of two contacts, internal and external, to project manage all requirements, and nurture the beginnings of a supportive and robust relationship. With the first project being one of the institutions flagship publications (the PG Prospectus), it was an opportunity for the Belmont team to prove our worth!

The University of Plymouth Postgraduate Prospectus 2023 needed to be a sector leading publication, which added stature to the message of promoting Masters education. The marketing team delivered a design concept for the outer covers to represent the elevated status of education at Masters level, using the contrast of soft touch matt laminate with high-build spot UV varnish on specific wording.

The tactile distinction between the raised gloss finish wording ‘WITH A MASTERS’ and the flat, velvet like finish of the laminate, gave the postgraduate cover a real physical prominence. The specialist finishes on the outer covers were set upon a bright peacock feather background. The colour management of the project was achieved using our Heidelberg presses equipped with impress bar technology that records and recalibrates colour every seven sheets, ensuring colour consistency throughout the entirety of the print run.

Finally, the prospectus was PUR bound with 232pp inner text pages, trimmed to a finished size of 230 x 175mm, and packed in bespoke perfect fit, fully recyclable cardboard boxes. It was delivered on schedule to Plymouth and further copies held in Belmont’s own warehouse ready for fulfilment and mailing to students.

Kat Keay, the University's print team manager, had this to say about our new relationship and her teams first impressions of Belmont Press: -

“The undergraduate and postgraduate publications are the university’s flagship publications, and the most important tools in our recruitment of new students.

In moving to Belmont away from an existing supplier, who we had used for many years, it was important that we had a supplier who could deliver the quality we required, particularly the finish and presentation of the covers, as well as providing a fulfilment service we could trust. 

My team have found Belmont's customer service to be very good, we always get prompt replies to our enquires and the staff are incredibly helpful in offering advice when required.

Despite being quite a distance from where Belmont are based, we have regular visits from them and feel that there is already a strong working relationship in the relatively short time we have been working with them. We are really happy with the first projects we have worked together on and would not hesitate to recommend them.”

Howdens Joinery Group is a supplier of kitchens and joinery products to the building trade. They have more than 75 kitchen designs to choose from, plus more than 10,000 products across kitchens, joinery, and hardware. This is a lot of products, and their catalogues reflect this with the average page count of the publications being over 400 pages long.

In 2018 Belmont Press were given the opportunity to tender for the Howdens range of catalogues, with the flagship publication being the Consumer Product Catalogue, which is printed twice every year.

This is Howdens main piece of annual marketing so it's a thick, circa 400pp PUR bound book, with a print run of 100's of thousands of copies. The product is printed in 4 colour process throughout with a matt lamination to the outer cover, to give it durability for use on site with trades people.

Belmont Press were subsequently awarded the contract, and so by the time the 2020 edition came around for planning late in 2019, we had already printed the catalogue three times previously (twice in 2018 and then again at the start of 2019). The artwork for this latest edition was available from mid June 2020, with regular deliveries commencing from early July through to late August.

A kitchen is one of the most significant investments a person can make in their own home. Therefore, the literature advertising Howden's range of units has to be an exacting representation of how the fitted kitchen will look in the flesh. Measuring colour from a physical item and replicating it onto paper (made from a living breathing raw material) can be challenging. It's important to understand the pitfalls right from the outset, before the first page is even designed.

The other area identified as requiring special attention is the size of the project. Prior to production commencement, we were faced with an unprecedented pandemic, which resulted in staff being forced into self isolation and our working practices changing for safety reasons, almost overnight. During the COVID-19 lockdown, the construction industry also bucked the trend and experienced a growth spurt as people were sat at home, planning their next home renovation. The eventual catalogue requirements had upscaled significantly since forecasting and equated to over 175 million sheets of A4 paper through press and well over 500,000 books now being required. It was a sizeable undertaking which required effective project management right from the start. 

In January 2020 we immediately set up a temporary studio for the Howdens design team, on our own premises at Belmont Press. This enabled the team to bring in physical samples of their range of kitchens, design a page and then run out proofs to match. This fluid, live 'design to print process' enabled the team to achieve exactly the right colour before the first sheet through press.

Once colour standards were set, the catalogue was placed into the copy design phase with print ready files being available by mid June 2020. By this time, we had already implemented our robust disaster recovery plan to counter any effects from the ongoing global emergency.

Almost all of our staff are multi skilled, from the trained machine operators through to our external sales force. Many of our account management team started as apprentice machine operators before moving into the commercial side of our business. This formed the backbone of our plan, with multi-skilled staff being able cover crucial production roles for other team members if required.

By the time the 'peak' had passed in April, we had remained operational throughout the entirety of the pandemic. Once the artwork was approved for press we commenced printing without any deviation from the original plan and schedule. By mid August 2020 we had made over 30 deliveries, outputting in excess of 500,000 quality product catalogues. Our staff delivered the project on time in exceptionally demanding and unprecedented circumstances. We are currently in the planning phase for the 2023 range.

The relationship to a city centre community in Greater Manchester may not be immediately apparent for a Manchester printer whose main production facility is actually based in Northampton.

However, Belmont Press has a long standing affinity and established relationship with Manchester. We're proud to work with many of the city's well known brands and institutions.

All over the nation, from Edinburgh to Falmouth, Bristol to Ipswich, our work can be seen in the centre of local communities. While every location is different, regardless of where our clients are located, we want them to always feel at least partly at home with us. We aim to create that sense of comfort, security, and proximity.

It is important to us that our business has a genuine and thorough understanding of the communities it joins, cultivating long-lasting relationships with our client base, and tries to comprehend the particular social, historical, and cultural nuances that make each location special.

With this in mind we felt it was vital to have a presence in Manchester,  employ a team who understood the values of the location and spend their time living and working from the city.  We also want our staff to feel engaged with our own business, cementing us as a go to Manchester Printer, aligning with our values, keeping the company's principles and culture constant.

The social difficulties that already existed in society have received more attention in recent years as COVID-19 has driven changes in achieving the work life balance. These changes often mean that employees are separated from the businesses they work for, working remotely. We want all of our employees to feel engaged with our business, feel a sense of common purpose, and in turn align our social values with like minded organisations.

To help create this synergy with the city, and ensure we improve on our social values year on year, we became an official supporter of The Greater Manchester Employment Charter in 2022. GMEC is a voluntary membership and assessment scheme that aims to raise employment standards across Greater Manchester, for all organisations of any size, sector or geography.

We felt the charter was an excellent fit with our own social values and helped reinforce the link we feel with Greater Manchester, our diverse customer base and our employees representing Belmont Press from the city.

Since becoming a university, Solent has helped over fifty thousand students, from all walks of life, to make the most of their potential. Belmont Press has been a key print partner to Solent for over a decade, during which time the University has changed dramatically  – from campus improvements to the latest state-of-the-art facilities.

Our services to Solent incorporate their flagship undergraduate prospectus, as well as supporting marketing literature, personalised direct mail campaigns, storage, fulfilment, mailing and distribution solutions.

All of these services are performed in house, under our own roof, meaning everything is produced inline with our own ISO credentials and manufactured by our own skilled workforce.

An important aspect of Solent's prospective student engagement strategy are their cluster book mailing campaigns. Each cluster book focuses on a different faculty and is produced in a saddle stitched format, typically around 64pp in pagination. Once the booklets have been finished, they are held in our storage facility, awaiting fulfilment for each bulk mailing campaign.

The cluster books are mailed out as part of two different campaigns: - either with a prospectus, with the cluster book being specific to the prospective students chosen field of study, or sent out with an invitation to one of the University's open evenings. Again, the correct course specific cluster book must be mailed out to the correct student whose area of interest matches the booklets content.

A key requirement of our agreement with Solent for their cluster book mailings is our ability to provide an end to end solution internally, without the need for third party involvement. From receipt of artwork for the prospectus, the cluster book and the invitations, along with the data, our team ensured an efficient printing and bulk mailing solution.

Our cost effective bulk mailing solution has ensured the project ramins cost viable for Solent, while providing a more targeted student communication approach for their external relations team.