“This is a relationship business. That’s what we decided on day one, and that belief has never changed.”
Pagefast is Lancaster’s leading commercial printer. Back in 1989 we started small, with a mind to developing relationships and seeing where we could go. We’re now Lancaster’s biggest lithographic and digital printer – and we’re still working for the client who gave us our first break.
We handle a lot of conventional commercial print – stationery, brochures, advertising materials and so on – but a large part of our business lies in the provision of contract publishing services. We produce a diverse range of periodicals, ranging from glossy A4 magazines to a weekly newspaper. Print runs range from the high hundreds to many thousands.
Because of our publishing contracts we are unusual in being able to offer design, editing and mailing services in addition to print and print finishing. Our service is fully customizable. For some customers we simply print from finished artwork, fold and stitch if required, and trim and box up their order. At the other end of the scale, for several of our magazine customers we do everything except source their raw material. In all cases, final approval of copy and design rests with the customer.
And our belief that this is a relationship business has not changed from day one. Across the Pagefast team we have decades of experience in all areas of print and publishing; we’re never happier than when we are sharing that experience to help you get the best out of your print.
It hasn’t all been easy going, of course. The recent Pagefast story hinges on a catastrophic flood in December 2015, when the nearby River Lune burst its banks and overwhelmed our press room with three feet of river water and mud.
After rebuilding in 2016 and with new equipment, this major event has now lead us into a new chapter. We took the decision in 2018 to look to merge with another printer who share’s our values, but not our flood risk. So in November we upped sticks and move north. to Kendal, where we have joined forces with MTP Media.
So what’s new. The scenery’s different, there are some new faces around us – in addition to the familiar Pagefast crew – and there’s an exciting new buzz. We’ve been made very welcome by our new colleagues at MTP: they’re teaching us new stuff and we’re sharing a trick or two with them.
Otherwise, it’s business as usual. We’re back in the old routine, looking after you and your print, happy as Larry.
We know that it may not be as easy for you to drop in, which is a great shame, but if you’re in the neighbourhood we’d love to see you. And if you used to collect your print work from us and are worried that you no longer can, be assured that we run a policy of free delivery to LA and CA postcodes. The MTP vans are in and around Lancaster every day, and we’ll get your order to you as quick as ever.
