David Prince told Printweek: “We’re a small print shop – and I just felt I wouldn’t be able to grow without the support and infrastructure of a group like Minuteman Press.

“Part of the process of becoming a franchisee is actually speaking to other owners, and seeing their stores. They told me how good the support was, and that was what we were looking for.”

Sprint Digital had been bought by husband and wife team David and Juanita Prince in February 2020, with operations moving into the Post Office branch the couple own.

Lockdown’s arrival, less than a month later, however, meant that the expected transition from the previous owners never happened with the Princes forced to take up business with no previous print experience and limited training.

Prince continued: “Over the past three years, we’ve taken the business forward, winning a local award for best family business – but to take it to the next level, I needed that support.”

Particularly impressive to Prince was Minuteman’s technical support, with its dedicated Flex customer management, quoting and workflow software.

“We’re still learning everything,” said Prince, “but we can see straight away the beneifts of having a very good system which you just don’t have, as a little business.”

Minuteman press Dorchester, as it is now, opened at its new premises on 4 September, with a Xerox Versant 280 as its main press.

The Versant is backed up by a Canon imagePrograf TX-3000 wide-format printer, Duplo finishers, an InkTec cutter, and several laminators.

The Princes have one employee at the store and are hoping to double the company’s turnover in the next two years and take on additional staff.

One final boon in the new arrangement with Minuteman, Prince added, was that the company caps the royalties it takes from franchisees.

He said: “Once you achieve a certain level of sales, you don’t pay any more. 

“They still encourage you to grow, but they’re not constantly taking from you – and that was a strong reason to join them.”