According to BAPC chairman Sidney Bobb: "Understanding their customer needs is probably their USP and while they may be modest in size, they boast some of the largest companies in the UK as clients. I can't think of a more worthy winner."

Simon Tabelin, managing director of the Hampstead, London-based printer said: "It was a complete shock, we're honoured and everyone here is very excited because it's great to be recognised all their hard work".

Other winners on the night included Southend-on-Sea-based Formara Printing, which was crowned Environmental printer of the Year, repeating its 2007 triumph. The evening ceremony was also used to highlight the achievements of kit suppliers and manufacturers, with Canon's imagePress C6010VP being voted Product of the Year by conference delegates and the title of Supplier of the Year secured by Intelligent Finishing Systems (IFS).

However, one of the biggest cheers of the night was for Kodak UK marketing manager Pat Holloway, who was awarded life membership of the BAPC in recognition of what Bobb said was his "tireless enthusiasm for the industry".

Holloway used his acceptance speech to talk of his pride in being part of the industry and also praised the BAPC for the support it offered the sector.

"It does so much for the industry; the only problem is that industry doesn't appreciate it. It doesn't make the effort to come and attend events like this, which feature fantastic speakers, and that's a real shame," said Holloway.

The awards followed a packed seminar schedule that featured expert speakers covering topics from making the most of search engine optimisation, winning more business through collaborative client relationships, opening up cross-media to SMEs, to the valuable insights into where the economy is headed. However, the common theme of all of the presentations was 'opportunity'.

"We all know it's tough out there, but we wanted the conference to highlight just some of the many opportunities that exist in print and I think we delivered on that," said the BAPC's Bobb.

"There are thousands of fantastic businesses out there, but that doesn't mean every one of them couldn't find ways, however small, to improve, whether it's in terms of technology, productivity, business or even just how they engage with clients. I like to think that every delegate would have left the conference with at least one insight they could take back to their business and in my book that's a success."