Broker Collins Stewart has recommended ControlP as one of seven companies whose shares investors should buy this year, proving that there is still some optimism in the print dotcom sector.


A Collins Stewart spokesman said he thought it feasible that ControlP's profit would be up to 2m by February 2003.


This week, ControlP's shares were priced at 26.5p. "If the company gains momentum, it could do well," he said.


He referred to the firm's recent successes in selling
its online print e-procurement software ControlP Systems.


ControlP Systems is a fully-fledged e-procurement system, which it claims has far more functionality than eprintinternet, which it launched at Print UK. At the end of last year Sutton-based print farmer HH Associates invested 100,000 in a system.


ControlP also offers its own online print procurement service. It recently signed up a government department which requires 500,000 worth of print a year.


Its software product has been in development for 18 months. "The ControlP website was used as a testing ground for our system," said ControlP sales director David Aungier.


The firm has had some success with its eprintinternet software including selling a system to Al-Fattaim Printers & Publishers - a major print supplier in the United Arab Emirates.


ControlP executive chairman Warren Tayler has
concentrated on selling the firm's software after finding that printers needed to grasp e-commerce models of their own.


Story by Jeremy Allen