The deal was completed late on Friday afternoon (15 November).

Ashford Colour Press filed a Notice of Intention to Appoint Administrators at the beginning of this month, with Nicholas Simmonds and Christopher Newell of Quantuma Advisory appointed on 14 November.  

Pureprint has acquired the digital side of the business through a new subsidiary company, Ashford Colour Ltd. The litho side, which operated from a separate unit, was not included.

In a statement Pureprint said that all jobs had been retained at Ashford’s Gosport site, and the group planned to reconfigure the facility to focus on the firm’s “advanced inkjet and digital print capabilities”.

Pureprint Group CEO Mark Handford described the business as “a fantastic addition to the Pureprint family”.

“We’ve long admired its expertise, particularly in inkjet and on-demand printing, and we’re excited to combine this with our innovative approach to print and sustainability.

“This acquisition allows us to broaden our client base and enhance our offerings for key sectors while securing Ashford’s talented and dedicated team.”

The terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Pureprint said that Ashford’s client base would benefit from a greatly expanded product and service offering, while the group’s existing clients would also benefit from the additional manufacturing capabilities at the Gosport site, particularly in “inkjet and on-demand printing”.

The Gosport factory is home to an array of digital printing kit including three HP inkjet web presses, two sheetfed Indigos including a B2 12000 model, and a Domino K630i mono inkjet line alongside an extensive post-press setup.

Handford, who was at the Gosport site this morning, told Printweek: “I've spent the last 18 months looking at inkjet equipment because we knew it would be part of our future. It's something we've been looking at very closely. And then when this came up it was an ideal opportunity, because not only did we have the opportunity to buy the equipment, it was the people expertise that surrounded it as well. It's just brought our initial plans forward.”

He said all employees had been retained – including those who worked at the litho unit – as Pureprint plans to ramp up the hours of operation on the digital side, while the recent addition of Patrick Headley to the Pureprint team could open up new business for the site.

“We are also looking at potentially doing some variable data direct mail work on those presses, too. It's perfect timing for us and all very positive so far.”

Ashford has developed production models for zero inventory, automatic stock replenishment, and fast turnaround production of books, journals and other publications. Its focus is on runs of one to 10,000 in mono, two- or four-colour.

Clients include big names in trade, academic and educational publishing, along with a diverse range of commercial clients.

In its most recent accounts for the year ending 31 March 2023, Ashford Colour Press posted sales up 12% at £14.8m and an increase in pre-tax profits to £315,736 from £250,288. It employed 86.

However, in his commentary Ashford Colour Press managing director Rob Hutcheson had flagged a difficult start to the firm’s 2023/24 financial year, with sales in the first six months down 32% on the prior year as customers used up stocks.

He also said that a lot of longer run litho work had “now returned to the Far East” resulting in a significant fall-off at that part of its business.

Uckfield-headquartered Pureprint Group had sales of nearly £72m last year, which included “phenomenal” growth in its added-value products offering.

The group acquired Screaming Colour’s box division in January 2023, and then opened a new office in Plymouth the following month, having taken on a number of former Pepper Communications employees.