The print and web studio network, owned by Grafenia, received a complaint about the advert earlier this month, which depicts a post-apocalyptic high street showing a number of print shops with fictitious brand names. The advert has now been removed and a re-designed one will be on show at Ipex. 

Grafenia chief executive Peter Gunning said that an unnamed complainant had approached him stating that the campaign created a false impression as to the viability of print shops. 

Gunning said: “The apocalypse theme was a bit tongue-in-cheek. We didn’t set out to offend anyone. By its very nature, Nettl is a collaborative model. We partner with existing graphics businesses. 

“This is a serious issue. Business is tough out there. We wanted to show print shops that there was a way to survive and thrive.

“There has been a convergence. Clients want a single creative relationship. That now starts with web. If you’re not doing web for a client, you’ll struggle to retain the print. With Nettl, we’ve helped print shops reinvent themselves and profit from not only web, but make money in growing areas like soft signage and digital textiles.”

Gunning added that Nettl has 130 locations in the UK and Ireland, recently launched in the Netherlands and is growing at a rate of one or two signups per week.

Grafenia posted a £1m loss in its most recent financial results but snapped up Manchester-based wide-format printer Image Everything soon after, its largest acquisition to date.