Bob Mursell has a warning for his son Paul, managing director of east London printer Blue Printing: times have changed and the printing industry in particular is now tougher than at any other time in its history.

"Any idiot could make a profit in print 20 years ago," he says. "You have to be a bit special to do that now."

That comment is clearly meant as a direct compliment to his son who founded Blue Printing in 2002, since when it has grown at an extraordinary rate. In the past year, the business's turnover has gone from £4m to £6.5m, an increase of 33%.
Paul Mursell started his career in print 15 years ago. Aged 22, he cut his print teeth at directory printer  Benhamgood-head. He then moved on to Nuffield Web, where his father held the sales director and managing director roles. It was the first time that the two worked together, but it proved not to be the last.

Both father and son worked at REM, before REM was sold to Adland. They also spent time together at failed east London printer Yellow, where Paul spent eight months as a director before setting up Blue.

Within a year, the company was talking about making £4.5m and, with such heady expansion plans in place, Paul brought his dad across to help him out.

Bob Mursell is now 71 and although he is playing second fiddle to his son, he still has a major role to play. "I have no interest in retiring," he says. "I have gone back to doing sales again. I think I can keep a few salespeople on their toes."

Family affair
Being able to draw upon his father's extensive experience is undoubtedly invaluable to Paul. Having witnessed and, more importantly, survived past recessions, Bob is confident that his son is on track to get through the current downturn.
He says: "Paul has steered Blue through this recession with acquisitions. Over the past few years, he has picked up top quality. The company has a different profile to what it used to be. The sales sheet here is like a who's who, there is a total range of everything coming in."

Over the past few years, Blue has grown aggressively through, among other things, acquisitions. Late last year, it increased its mailing work by taking on sales staff from failed mailing house Colin Clapp. It has also picked up the goodwill and client base of Masterange, shortly after the digital specialist closed its doors in March 2008.

Blue won't stop there either. For an acquisitive company on the lookout for struggling businesses, there is no better time than now and Paul is constantly looking for a chance to take on new business and staff.

He argues that his company is currently one of the most versatile printers in the UK. Two months ago, the company bought a Manroland Polyman six-unit web press from failed Southend printer Mayhew McCrimmon, adding another string to its bow. More importantly, they took on several of the company's staff, including its managing director, so Paul is clearly not adverse to buying in vital know-how.

What the Polyman brings the company is an additional service to add to the large array it already offers, including digital, sheetfed litho, direct mail and heatset web offset. The company can print anything from letterheads and business cards, to brochures and magazines.

"I like to get the machines going," Paul explains. "I don't like putting work out, we want to keep as much in-house as we possibly can."

In an episode that Paul would clearly rather forget, Blue was connected briefly with infamous perennial print director Myles Bunyard a few years ago. He is irritated that Bunyard has become something that constantly comes up when his company is mentioned.

He says: "Bunyard was here for a couple of weeks and we parted ways; he made himself a director without my say-so. You learn from these things, it is in the past."

Now he's looking ahead. He has set his company the target of achieving a £12m turnover. He says it will drive him forward more than anything else.

"If people ask what is more important, work or family, I say work," he explains. "Without work, you can't feed your family. I am scared of losing what I have got and that's what drives me."

Despite the success, Mursell still has to stop and think about just how far his business has come in the past few years.
He says: "I thought I would start a company, build it and make a profit. I assumed we would stay with one press. What we have achieved has gone way beyond my wildest dreams."

Blue Printing Factfile
Formed 2002
Based East London
MD Paul Mursell
Turnover £6.5m
Staff 66
Services Small offset, digital, sheetfed litho, direct mail and heat-set web offset