Remember the hotel in Scarborough that fell into the sea? he asked. That was the power of the waves. A printers role is to ride those waves, not to fight the tides.

He compared the rise of the internet to that of DTP in the 80s, when Pindars embrace of the technology and the assistance it offered to clients was branded selling off the family silver.

Pindar also said that his groups sponsorship of solo yachtswoman Emma Richards was designed to make it stand out.

Sponsoring Richards was a calculated risk to increase the firms exposure, something he believed had paid off. Getting involved in sailing was not because I like sailing or because Emma is pretty, although both are true, said Pindar. The reason is because print is a crowded house and weve got to stand out.

As well as generating press coverage in the UK estimated to be the equivalent of spending 11.5m, it had also raised awareness in North America, which contributes a quarter of the groups revenues.

We employ 400 in print, the highest number ever, and we did that by riding the waves, added Pindar.

Story by Barney Cox