Ink Print Solutions is a ‘one-stop shop’ for a wide range of print services, including print management, general printing, bespoke boxes, and video books. Founded by Dean Phillips nearly a decade ago, they support clients across all scales of projects, saying, “no project is too small, too ambitious, or too bespoke.” Partnering both with design agencies and directly with organisations, they have a real passion for print and pride themselves on delivering first-class service alongside the highest levels of print quality. 

What challenge did Ink Print Solutions face? 

The pandemic created significant challenges for Ink Print Solutions. Before 2020, around 70% of the business was related to event printing, so when Covid-19 struck it had an enormous impact – hitting turnover by 50%. They went from working to expand their team to survival mode in just a few months.  

How did SEMLEP provide support? 

Dean heard about SEMLEP through an email from the local council and got in touch to see what help they could offer. He discovered that Ink Print Solutions was a good fit for the Recovery and Resilience Grant and successfully applied for £3000 in funding. This grant was used to power new business activity – supporting the production of a high-quality book to demonstrate the breadth of Ink Print Solutions’ services. Dean says it was a great way to focus on kickstarting new business activity and mark the company’s tenth anniversary:

“Speaking to the advisor, I found out that we could fund the book through the grant that was available, and that took all the boundaries away and we could move on with it.”

Dean believes this physical marketing asset will “open doors”, enabling Ink Print Solutions to get in front of potential clients and highlight the quality of the work they do. He describes their products as incredibly “tactile” and explains it’s important to give potential customers the chance to feel and experience the printed materials. In addition to the funding, Dean received business support that helped him to analyse the company and identify opportunities to scale. He says it was helpful to revisit some of the “business basics” and get a “push on marketing activities”. 

Praising the simplicity of the grant application process, Dean has also been impressed by the ongoing contact and support. He says: 

“Everyone that we’ve spoken to and everyone that we’ve dealt with, throughout the process, has been really helpful. And they seem genuinely interested, not just as a box-ticking exercise, everyone was really interested in what we were doing, how it was going to be used, and how we thought it was going to benefit us.”

Today, Ink Print Solutions is continuing to grow and is on track to expand the business to pre-Covid levels and beyond.