McPherson’s

What McPherson’s does

McPherson's Printing Group (legal entity: McPherson's Printing Pty Ltd, ABN 36 004 911 308) is an Australian commercial printing company founded in 1946 in Maryborough, Victoria, and operates today as the Publishing Division of OPUS Group. The company produces books (hardcover, paperback, board books), magazines, brochures, catalogues, and general commercial print, with a customer base anchored by major publishers including Scholastic Australia, Allen & Unwin, HarperCollins, Hachette, and CCH (Wolters Kluwer), plus non-publishing clients such as Victoria Racing Club. Service offerings span the full content-to-distribution value chain: electronic pre-press and file refinement, offset (sheetfed and web) printing, digital short-run on-demand printing, multiple binding methods (perfect, limp sewn, saddle stitch, loose leaf, cased, wire-O), in-house embellishments (foiling, embossing/debossing, lamination, coatings), and Australia Post-accredited bulk mailing, warehousing, and international door-to-door distribution.

The technical platform is built around major presses installed in 2018-2019: a Kolbus KM600 12-station perfect binding line with cooling tower and inline 3-knife trimmer; a Timson heat-set web press capable of 48-64 page sections; and a Heidelberg 8-colour 4x4 perfector sheetfed press with 720x1020 max sheet size. Customer-facing software includes an Insite online portal for job submission, proofing, and tracking; FTP file upload; and self-serve utilities (LBS-to-GSM converter, spine bulk calculator, MPG glossary). The business is quote-based with a 500-unit minimum on standard jobs, supports credit card (1.5% Visa/Mastercard, 2% AMEX surcharges) and EFT, and combines enterprise field sales via dedicated account managers with inside sales through an online quote-request system. Go-to-market emphasizes site visits and long-term publisher relationships. Operations are certified to ISO 9001:2015 (quality), ISO 14001:2015 (environmental), and FSC Chain of Custody (responsible forestry).

Name

McPherson’s

Legal name

McPherson's Printing Pty Ltd

Website

https://mcphersonsprinting.com.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

1946

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

McPherson's Printing Group is an Australian commercial printer founded 1946, producing books, magazines, brochures, and catalogues for major publishers including Scholastic, Allen & Unwin, HarperCollins, and Hachette, with in-house pre-press, binding, embellishments, and Australia Post bulk distribution.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Commercial Printing Services

NAICS

Books Printing (323117), Printing and Related Support Activities (3231), Commercial Printing (except Screen and Books) (323111)

SIC

Book Printing (2732), Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731), Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)

akta.pro primary industry

Children’s Book Print-on-Demand (Picture Books, Early Readers, YA) (MPAJANAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Finishing & Post-Press Services (Cutting, Folding, Collating, Laminating, Foil, Emboss) (MPAJALAF), Mailing, Inserting & Distribution Services (Addressing, Direct Mail, Kitting) (MPAJALAH)

Keywords

• Commercial printing services
• Book printing
• Offset and digital printing
• Binding and finishing
• Print fulfilment and distribution

Headquarters

HQ city

Maryborough

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Book Printing: Printing of books including hardcover, paperback, board books with various binding options. Serves major Australian publishers with mass-market books through to limited edition coffee table books.
2. Commercial Printing: Magazines, brochures, catalogues, publications, and booklets. Includes colour printing and various finishing options.
3. Pre-press Services: Electronic file processing, pre-flight checking, file refinement and imposition in line with quality standards.
4. Binding Services: Multiple binding methods including perfect bound, limp sewn, saddle staple, loose leaf, cased, and wire-O binding.
5. Embellishments: In-house embellishments including foiling (various colours and styles), embossing/debossing, lamination and coatings.
6. Mailing, Warehousing and Fulfillment: Bulk fulfilment, warehousing and distribution services. Domestic and international door-to-door service with Australia Post Bulk Mail partnership.
7. Pre-Retail Services: Additional services including stickers, slipcases, shrink-wrapping and other finishing options.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

McPherson's Printing Group is a commercial printing company that produces books (hardcover, paperback, board books) plus commercial materials such as magazines, brochures, catalogues and booklets. The offering spans the full production chain — pre-press, offset and digital printing, binding, in-house embellishments (foiling, embossing, lamination), and mailing/warehousing/distribution — sold primarily to Australian publishers and commercial clients on a project quote basis.

Product overview

McPherson's Printing Group is a commercial printing company offering an end-to-end content value chain from creation to consumption. The core product portfolio spans pre-press services, offset printing (sheetfed and web), digital short-run printing, binding services (perfect bound, limp sewn, saddle stitch, cased, wire-O), embellishments (foiling, embossing, lamination), mailing/warehousing/distribution, and pre-retail finishing. The company produces books (hardcover and paperback), board books, brochures, catalogues, magazines, and general commercial printing. Recent equipment installations (2019) include Kolbus KM600 perfect binding line, Timson web press, and Heidelberg 8-colour sheetfed press. As an Australia Post Bulk Mail Partner, they offer integrated file-to-mail distribution services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Pre-press Services Electronic file processing, pre-flight checking, refinement and imposition services delivered in line with McPherson's quality standards, supporting publishers and commercial clients ahead of printing.
• Offset Printing Sheetfed and web offset printing for mass-market books through to coffee-table pictorial limited-edition titles, run via Heidelberg and Timson presses.
• Digital Short Run Printing On-demand digital printing for short-run jobs with quick turnaround, complementing offset production for publishers and commercial clients.
• Binding Services Multiple binding methods — perfect bound, limp sewn, saddle staple, loose leaf, cased and wire-O — suited to different cost, durability and flat-opening requirements of publishers and commercial clients.
• Embellishments In-house finishing services including foiling in multiple colours and styles, embossing and de-bossing, plus various lamination and coating options applied to book covers and commercial materials.
• Mailing, Warehousing and Distribution Bulk fulfilment, warehousing and distribution with Australia Post Bulk Mail Partner accreditation, providing domestic and international door-to-door logistics from the Maryborough facility.
• Pre-Retail Services Additional finishing services including stickers, slipcases and shrink-wrapping to produce retail-ready printed products for publisher and commercial clients.
• Insite Online Portal Online self-service platform for existing customers to submit, order, proof and track print jobs remotely, including file upload and job-tracking capabilities.
• Book Printing Production of hardcover, paperback and board books — including mass-market titles and limited-edition coffee-table editions — combining offset or digital printing with appropriate binding and finishing options.
• Commercial Printing Production of magazines, brochures, catalogues, publications and booklets with colour printing and various finishing options for commercial clients across Australia.

Quantifiable outcome

• Reduced costs through efficient production and forecasting
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• OPUS GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMcPherson's is part of the Publishing Division of OPUS Group, a larger printing and publishing organization. This parent company relationship provides strategic oversight and alignment within a broader printing group.
• Australia PostcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMcPherson's is an accredited Australia Post Bulk Mail Partner, enabling bulk mailing and distribution services for customers. This partnership enables the company to handle jobs from file to mail.
• Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)minorOthersFSC provides Chain of Custody certification for paper from well-managed forests. McPherson's uses FSC-certified paper as part of their sustainability commitment.
• Program for Endorsement of Forestry Certification (PEFC)minorOthersPEFC provides forestry certification. McPherson's sources paper from PEFC-certified forests as part of their environmental responsibility.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves12 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Cimpress: Global print platform (parent of Vistaprint, Printi and others) offering mass-customized printing across multiple categories. Overlaps with McPherson's in commercial print and on-demand services, though at vastly larger scale and broader product breadth.

Regional players

• Lakeside Book Company: US-based book manufacturer offering hardcover, paperback, board books and mass-market paperbacks to major US publishers. Comparable in trade book manufacturing capabilities but operates exclusively in North America.
• Bertelsmann Printing Group: International book and commercial printing division of Bertelsmann, one of the world's largest book printers. Comparable book-printing technology stack and serves major global publishers, though operating primarily outside Australia.

Direct peers

• IVE Group: ASX-listed Australian commercial printing and marketing services group offering commercial print, labels, packaging and digital services. Closest publicly-traded Australian analogue, competing for similar publisher and commercial clients with overlapping capabilities.
• Newstyle Print: Australian book and commercial printer based in New South Wales, serving publishers and self-publishers with offset and digital printing. Direct competitor in the Australian trade book printing market.
• Griffin Press: Australian book printer also operating within OPUS Group's Publishing Division, making it a sister company to McPherson's. Directly comparable in offering hardcover, paperback and trade book printing to major publishers with similar capacity profile.
• Focus Press: Australian commercial and publication printer offering magazines, catalogues and books. Comparable mid-size Australian printing competitor with overlapping publisher and commercial client base.
• Opus Print Group: Parent printing group containing McPherson's and other Australian print operations. Provides broader context for McPherson's competitive positioning within its own corporate family of printing assets.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/Mcphersons-Printing-Group-515477725152127

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about McPherson’s