Directors of the Hertfordshire-based commercial printer filed the notice of intent yesterday (3 October), with London-based FRP Advisory the proposed administrators.

Philip Watkins, a partner at FRP, said: "I can confirm that we are acting as the proposed administrators in this matter and that over the last few days we have been looking to secure a buyer for the business, this position is on-going."

According to records filed at Companies House, James Stewart & Co (Printers) company director Aimee Joy's appointment was terminated on 12 September.

James Stewart & Co was acquired by former Oxford University Press director of printing services George Thomas and group supply chain director Dave Fry in June 2010.

The pair then set up a holding company, Fry Thomas Holdings, in October 2010 with the stated aim of building a "group of companies that specialise in information delivery".

According to Dave Fry's Linkedin profile, it was the intention of Fry Thomas Holdings "to build a group of businesses to £50m in five years".

Calls to both James Stewart Creative Services (JSCS) Hertford telephone number and voicemails left with Fry Thomas Holdings were unanswered at the time of writing.

According to the JSCS website, the company operated a range of Heidelberg presses, from one to five colours, and could print up to B2 format. Its digital department included a Kodak Nexpress and Epson wide format inkjet printers.

Furthermore the company offered a host of in-house finishing services, including embossing, foiling, die stamping, flittering, thermography, die cutting, folding, collating, stitching and trimming.

The company was also a MetalFX licensee, although MetalFX owner Ciba shut the program down in 2008, leaving licensee's without an authorised source of for the silver ink.

The firm's pre-press services included scanning, image setting, flexible digital proofing and conventional wet proofing facilities. The company also had a Kodak Insite online proofing facility.