Retiring aged 65 just before Christmas, Parkhouse will now set out to pursue his love of fishing Lancashire's trout streams.

Parkhouse arrived at Ronset in 2014 as a print finisher having spent his entire working life in the print trade, and made firm friends among the staff at the Blackburn commercial printer, according to Chris Durham, Ronset’s commercial director.

“Ian’s a great colleague to have, his commitment and endeavour was always on show,” Durham said, adding that he was highly dedicated, and old-school to the point of choosing not to have a mobile phone.

“He’s a talented printer and indeed a very skilled print finisher. There was something very reassuring about Ian, that meant when I went on the shop floor and saw him, I knew things were in hand.”

Speaking to Printweek, he added that Parkhouse’s work on the company’s Konica Minolta AccurioPress C6100 digital press, Duplo DBM-600 bookletmaker and Morgana folder and guillotine, was always to a high standard.

“He was very, very consistent, and a good colleague to have,” Durham said.

Blackburn-based Ronset is well-established in the area, serving many of the businesses arranged on either side of the M65 corridor between Burnley and Preston with a mix of digital and wide-format print.

“We’re well known in the area. [The trade] is not as consistent as it once was, but we’re ahead of our targets, so that’s good.”

Ronset employs around 10 at its Blackburn site.