Why did you get into printing?
My degree is in fine art printmaking, so I was looking for a way to make some money out of that in a related way, without having to wear a beret or starve in a garret. Some of my work had included very primitive digitising of images for screen print, so that new-fangled colour copying seemed a good match – and that’s how we started at Carbon Colour
What would be your dream job?
I think I could work in a chapeau shop, but what are the hours?
Who would play you in a movie about your life?
Ideally I think George Clooney would portray my looks and gravitas well (he dreamed), but realistically Ricky Gervais would emote my level of competence to a T
What is your dream bit of kit?
Anything that improves my margins, makes my colleagues’ lives easier and gives my clients a better job at a better price (has that been invented yet?)
What is your favourite film?
If that can be plural Carry On... Up the Khyber, This is Spinal Tap and Withnail and I
Who or what do you hate the most?
Intolerance in all its revolting forms
Who do you admire most in print?
I’m playing safe here! Wynkyn de Worde. The man who helped Caxton and brought marketing into the business too by pioneering popular editions. Without him, none of us would have jobs today!
What is your favourite saying?
‘Uhhm...’ is probably up there, as is ‘Can we just...’ to my production manager
What is your favourite album?
Temple of Low Men, Crowded House
What is your greatest luxury in life?
The first sip of a perfectly cooled glass of Sauvignon Blanc on a warm summer’s evening
Who would you like to be stuck on a desert island with?
Ray Mears would be handy, as long as he didn’t wear those tight, really short, shorts. Ugh!
What is your greatest ambition?
To be good at what I do, enjoy it and, above all, to be happy
What’s your greatest fear?
Spiders and heights
What piece of kit would you like to see invented?
A clock that shows ‘client time’, ‘printer time’ and real time all on the same display, and it’s visible to all concerned. If any aspect of the time is altered, the other ones change too, to show how that affects things
Where would you like to be right now?
If my boss is reading this, here at work. If he’s not, sipping a cocktail looking at a lovely sunset over a tropical beach
Which superpower would you like?
Mind reading – and I knew you’d ask this question! Ha-hah!
What is the worst kind of print?
A free re-print
Life is…?
Too short to do everything, but long enough to regret not trying to
