“I was told the advent of advertising on TV would kill our trade and then it has been the internet and yet we are still here, all evolving and changing,” he says. When not getting to grips with the latest print tech, Derek enjoys pottering around the garden, travel and spending time with his grandchildren
Why did you get into printing?
My father grew up in the 1930s depression and wanted both his sons to have a trade. He found me an apprenticeship at a local printers. Whilst I was unhappy with the situation at the time, I can now look back and know that printing has given me a good standard of life
What would be your dream job?
Anything that involved more travel
Who would play you in a movie about your life?
Michael Douglas
What is your dream bit of kit?
I think we all have our dream bit of kit. I have seen letterpress move to litho to digital and the biggest revolution is the internet. Enabling us to offer our services not just nationally but also internationally; move large files easily; get training and maintenance online; have online ordering systems for printing, making print assessable to more people. The current generation cannot conceive of a world without the internet, it has changed our perspective both at work and home
What is your favourite TV show?
Have I Got News For You
Who or what do you hate the most?
I don’t like political party promises!
What is your favourite saying?
I always have the last word, which is ‘Yes, dear’
What are you reading at the moment?
I am just catching up with the excellent historical Shardlake series by CJ Sansom; I am on Dark Fire presently
What is your greatest luxury in life?
A Mercedes C220
What is the strangest job you’ve had?
A Nigerian election campaign in the 1980s. Posters, leaflets, etc, with everything having to be shipped to the country
Who would you like to be stuck on a desert island with?
My wife – she is a great cook and I know I wouldn’t starve!
What is your greatest ambition?
Hastings Printing Co reached 100 this year – it might be nice to aim for that personally!
Who or what makes you laugh?
Only Fools and Horses
Where would you like to be now?
Tuscany. Beautiful scenery, friendly people and great food
Who would be your favourite party guest?
Boris Johnson
What is the worst kind of print?
Anything where the repro and photography is poor to begin with. Everyone now thinks they can take a photograph which is ‘good enough’, but as the saying goes you can’t make a silk purse...
What was the best business deal that you’ve pulled off?
I bought HPC from a publisher in the late 1980s but they were also my largest customer and I needed to achieve a better customer base, so went out and found a number of other publishers. In particular a deal worth £300,000 a year with a firm in Redhill. In those days it was a lot of money
