Category: Lithographic Printing

We’ve always been proud of our portfolio of clients in the sporting sector. From London 2012, Glasgow 2014 through to our work with first class sporting teams such as the Northampton Saints and MK Dons football club. So when we were approached to become a print partner to Birmingham 2022 we were delighted to be involved.

Birmingham 2022 proved to be a spectacular sporting showcase: 877 medals were awarded, 96 Commonwealth Games records and 4 world records were broken.

Hosts Team England sent the most diverse and inclusive English sporting team to compete at Birmingham 2022 and were rewarded with a record 176 medals, including 57 golds, representing the most medals ever won by England at a Commonwealth Games.

After working on a number of previous successful publications with Birmingham 2022, Belmont Press were consulted by the Publications team to help deliver a final flagship publication named ‘Our Story’, in celebration of a successful historical event. ‘Our Story’ complied the entire story of the Games and the legacy beyond. The book needed to reflect the overwhelming success of Birmingham 2022; be of superior quality; and provide longevity to allow readers to reflect on the Games for years to come.

The 164pp A4 Landscape text pages, filled with exceptional photography, were printed and sealed throughout on 170gsm FSC Silk. Production on our Heidelberg press with inbuilt impress bar technology meant that colour was checked and recalibrated every seven sheets, ensuring colour consistency and accurate reproduction of the photographic images. The outer covers were soft touch matt laminated and had spot gloss UV varnish applied, before being case bound with the text sections.

To protect the publication, Belmont Press created and manufactured a bespoke outer 2mm board slip case at the request of the Birmingham team. To compliment the prestigious nature of the ‘Our Story’ case bound book, the slip case was also soft touch matt laminated and had an additional paper inner lining applied. Die -Cut thumb cuts allowed ease of use when removing the book from the casing.

Upon the successful conclusion of the project, we made fully recyclable cardboard boxes to distribute ‘Our Story’ to countries across the globe. These perfect fit outer boxes prevented movement in transit ensuring the project reached the worldwide recipients in perfect condition. It was an honour and a privilege to play our part once again in such a prestigious and historical occasion, which culminated in this superb keepsake of the Games produced in print for lasting prosperity.

The Lead Publications and Studio Manager with Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, had this to say about his experience with us:

“Having worked with Belmont Press previously, it was great to have them on board with Birmingham 2022 to support our print requirements for the Commonwealth Games. The flagship publication of the Birmingham 2022 ‘Our Story’ book is the complete journey of the Games - from award to legacy - and Belmont Press were trusted with its production and delivery.

The project was managed by Tim Brown, and his advice and suggestions really made an impact on the look and feel of the book and slipcase. He was always available and on hand to answer any questions and process any requests made from myself. Timelines and production details were always accurately communicated, and I felt confident that Belmont Press would deliver a best-in-class product exactly to the specifications expected.

When my copies arrived, I was delighted with the result and feedback from recipients of the book were positive and very well received. This is a real coffee table publication designed to tell the story of the Games and will be kept as a souvenir and memory by a wide audience from members of the Commonwealth to local schools and libraries.

Thank you, Tim, and thank you Belmont Press, for a fantastic service and a quality book and slip case delivered to exacting standards as usual.”

Belmont Press have a long-standing relationship with Exeter College and have successfully produced their flagship course guide for the past three years. In September 2021, Exeter College’s design team presented us with an exciting new project which was to be printed using a different neon colour for each course guide over the next three years, with the theme being 'Your future is bright'.

Neon colours often require two hits, (or passes), to achieve the required colour density and vibrancy. Applying the ink twice creates full ink saturation and avoids any inconsistencies of ink coverage across the printed surface. With this in mind, we chose to produce the School Leavers Course Guide 4pp Covers as a sheet-worked project (i.e. two passes) through our Heidelberg Speedmaster XL75 lithographic press. It was important to the design team that the neon ink on the Covers of the publication appeared luminous and gave a striking visual impact.

The dedicated account manager assigned to Exeter College assessed the remainder of the artwork and assured the college design team one pass of the neon pink would suffice throughout the inner text as it was used minimally within the content copy.

This decision meant it was possible to ‘perfect’ the 164pp text which was more cost-effective. ‘Perfecting’ is the process of printing both sides of the sheet at the same time in one pass. Additionally, this decreased the drying time required and reduced the risk of ink set-off when folding the text sections.

Within 10 working days from approval to print, 15,500 copies of the publication were completed and ready for delivery. We facilitated the fulfilment and roll-out mailing of over 6,500 copies for direct distribution to prospective new students. A further bulk delivery went directly to the college, with the remainder entering our temperature-controlled warehouse as finished goods stock. This was to be fulfilled and mailed on request by our dedicated mailing team.

There are unique challenges associated with the application of neon inks. Our expert team are experienced in producing projects with neon colours, ensuring the highest possible intensity, uniformity, and quality is achieved. The design team at Exeter College were delighted with the finished results of the School Leavers Course Guide. The publication successfully delivered the impactful appearance that was desired, within budget, and meeting the required distribution schedule.

The marketing team at Exeter College had this to say about their experience of working with Belmont Press.

"We were very happy with Belmont Press's customer service. The communication was clear and quick. Where there were any concerns about print finish (we wanted to achieve a neon finish on the cover which was not straightforward to do) these were communicated clearly on videocalls with us and potential resolutions were discussed and trialed quickly to ensure that the finish and quality would be as we wanted."

The team concluded "The actual sign off process was one of the smoothest we have had to date and all went to plan, in time for the print deadline. We have been happy with the quality of the print and the special finish too. It is exactly what we had hoped to achieve and the bright colours have received excellent feedback."

"On price, print quality and customer service Belmont Press have been very good and we are already planning our next print product with them."

Industville are a London based manufacturer of hand-crafted, high quality, industrial style lights and furniture. They market themselves to high-end restaurants, wine bars and retail clients as well as the general public.

Their product is premium, made from high quality materials, so when it comes to their flagship marketing brochure, the quality of the catalogue printing must reflect the product it’s selling.

The cover needed to be printed as a solid block, using Industville’s brand Pantone 431 grey ink. To finish off the completed PUR bound catalogue, the outer cover was soft touch laminated and a copper foil block needed to be applied. This finish would provide the luxury feel that Industville required. After a successful tender submission, Belmont Press was chosen as Industville’s key partner for the project. While our pricing was competitive, the driving factor behind the decision was the proven quality of our work along with the vast printing fire power we had at our disposal.

6,000 catalogues were required in total and the delivery date was a 'no fail' deadline. This was for an important exhibition taking place on 26th April 2019. Industville were also up against a ticking clock - hundreds of images needed to be inserted into the artwork before they could send it on for printing. In actual terms this meant that over 3 million A4 sheets of paper needed to pass through press, be bound together and special finishes applied within a 10 day period. This was from receipt of artwork on 15th April. Brand integrity was also extremely important to Industville. Their grey particularly has to be on point.

While artworking was still ongoing we provided a print test, illustrating the brand solid grey. We printed a ‘double hit’ of the Pantone colour to create a lovely smooth solid finish. Their key photography was also used within the print test, so the marketing team were safe in the knowledge the chosen paper provided exactly the right results. We then implemented a colour standard on the grey and programmed it into our presses. This meant we knew colour consistency would be achieved once the final artwork was made available.

In order to take the pressure off of the Industville team, we requested artwork for the cover ahead of schedule. This allowed the design team to focus on the text, while Belmont printed and applied the special finishes to the covers. Upon receipt of the remaining text artwork, we immediately ascertained how many finished books were required for the exhibition. This enabled us to prioritise a smaller quantity of key, advanced catalogues to meet the no fail delivery. 

The end result is a striking 30mm thick, PUR bound premium catalogue. We distributed all 6,000 publications on time and on budget, to the quality that the brand demanded. The copper foil blocking on the front is given a platform by the smooth soft touch laminate. The solid grey underneath and Industville’s lovely portfolio of imagery is given justice by our high definition printing.

In May 2021 we were once again delighted to be invited to produce main catalogue and updated price list.

Royal Museums Greenwich is a group of historic and internationally renowned museums and visitor attractions at the Maritime Greenwich World Heritage Site. The group comprises; the National Maritime Museum, the Royal Observatory, The Queen’s House, and the Cutty Sark. The organisation is both a prestigious historical group of museums with unique associations with the Crown and a charitable institution subject to commercial pressures. The group required a lithographic printers to produce high quality, souvenir guides for visitors to buy, which are an important source of revenue for the organisation.

The guides are beautifully designed with stunning photographs and detailed information about the attractions.

After a competitive tender, Belmont Press were asked to produce four souvenir guides for Royal Museums Greenwich, which are; Royal Observatory Greenwich, National Maritime Museum, Maritime Greenwich and Cutty Sark. To produce the best quality guides as cost-effectively as possible, they are printed on Belmont’s Heidelberg 10-colour press with print runs of up to 25,000.

The guides are then held in stock by Belmont Press and called off when required with next day delivery to Royal Museums Greenwich. Belmont Press also prints posters that promote the temporary exhibitions and are also sold to visitors. These A2 posters are printed using Belmont’s Heidelberg 4-colour press with print runs of 200 or 500.

Royal Museums Greenwich has this to say: "Belmont Press provide everything that you want from a lithographic printers - reliability, excellent quality, good pricing and quick delivery. They are also friendly and easy to work with."

They added: "It is very important for the souvenir guides to be right and compiling each one is a complex project involving a large team at the museum. They are an important and visible part of the museum's brand so the print quality needs to be excellent...To maximise our profit, we need to buy high quality print as cost-effectively as possible. Belmont Press gives us a good price and holds the stock for us until we need it. This makes it sustainable for us and the whole process runs very smoothly."

Haddonstone is the international market leader in garden ornaments and architectural stonework. The company designs and manufactures all of its products in Northamptonshire and every item is the work of skilled craftsmen. Haddonstone designs feature on many prestigious properties including hotels and stately homes, as well as private homes and gardens of every size and style. The Haddonstone printed catalogues needed to reflect the high quality of the products they contain.

They are an important sales tool for private clients and also serve as a reference manual for architects and designers. The catalogue is full colour, outsize A4 with 216 printed pages that are thread-sewn. It needs to be robust and able to withstand the rigours of having pages photocopied without coming apart over its two to three year life cycle.

Belmont Press has been producing the Haddonstone lithographically printed catalogues since 2012, and Marketing Director Simon Scott said the decision to choose Belmont Press as their print partner was based on the three key factors of price, quality and service.

He added: "Ideally, we wanted to work with a local company, but I also compared prices from companies across the UK and internationally. Belmont Press is very competitive, the local support is excellent and our account manager is very knowledgeable about print."

Simon continued "He responds to our requests quickly and understands what we are trying to achieve. Belmont Press provides a seamless service. Their attention to detail is good and they always do what they say they will do. They're also flexible and accommodating when our schedules change."

Franke is a high-end brand of kitchen systems with a focus on high quality manufacturing and stylish design. Selling through kitchen design studios, Franke’s brochure range is aimed at both consumers and the trade and is a key part of its marketing strategy. The company produces three major printed brochures for different product ranges each year, comprising 48 or 76 pages. They are required for the KBB exhibition, so the deadline is fixed. It’s a complex project featuring hundreds of products, photographs and drawings.

The Marketing Operations Manager at Franke had this to say about the service they received from the Belmont team:

“Our range of printed brochures are our largest print project by some margin and a significant part of our budget. We needed a commercial printer who could deliver the quality we required, had the capacity to produce all three brochures at the same time to meet our deadline and was competitively priced. Belmont met these requirements, and they’re very easy to work with...We always need some flexibility as the artwork is often delayed due to the complexity of the project. We deal primarily with a sales person at Belmont, who is very professional, but it’s clear that each department has a different responsibility and that they manage the whole process very well.”

"We receive a level of service from Belmont that we haven't had from other commercial printers, and the small things make a big difference to us. We get the proofs back almost straight away and they have already been checked and marked up by the Repro team at Belmont. For example, checking that page numbers correspond with references on other pages. This is a great help, as someone viewing the brochures for the first time will spot things that you might not notice when you've read them dozens of times. We never compromise on quality, but price is an important factor, and Belmont Press delivered an excellent brochure printing service at a very competitive price."