Stephens & George

What Stephens & George does

Stephens & George Print Group is a UK-based, family-owned sheet-fed lithographic printing company headquartered in Merthyr Tydfil, South Wales, with sales offices in London and Glasgow and an owned delivery fleet covering the M4 corridor, Home Counties, and London. Founded in 1912 and now in its fourth generation of Jones family ownership under Chairman and Group Managing Director Andrew LG Jones, the firm serves magazine publishers, catalogue producers, brochure and programme printers, and commercial print customers, printing more than 500 titles per month on a 24x6 production schedule. Customers include Estates Gazette (Mark Allen Group), Ignition Sports Media (including the Team GB Paris 2024 official guide), the Welsh Rugby Union, CLIC Sargent, and Look Good Feel Better.

The company's production platform runs five Heidelberg XL106 presses with 40 printing units, including the UK's first XL106-8P with CutStar delivering 21,000 sheets per hour. Pre-press operates on AGFA Apogee Production Centre with Adobe PDF Print Engine v5 and Sublima screening (1%-99% tone range), with colour managed to ISO 12647-2 (one of only eight UK printers certified). Finishing spans two Muller Martini Bolero B9 perfect/PUR binders and two Primera saddle stitchers (largest such UK investment in a decade), plus MBO/Stahl folders and Polar cutters. Mailing is handled in-house via two Sitma 1150 lines with Domino Bitjet inkjet, offering paper-wrap, poly-wrap, and OK HOME Compost-certified starch wrappers. The firm produced over 300,000 m² of ECO3 Adamas chemistry-free plates in 2024, holds ISO 9001, ISO 14001, FSC, and PEFC certifications, and runs a 125,000 sq ft purpose-built facility.

Revenue is generated via quote-based custom pricing on a pay-as-you-go cadence across three workload segments: magazines and publications (56% of work volume), commercial print contracts (34%), and one-off custom jobs (10%). Distribution is direct B2B field sales with dedicated account managers, an inside-sales estimating team, and clients uploading artwork through Apogee WebApproval, FTP, Dropbox, or Hightail. Growth has been pursued through two strategic acquisitions: Magazine Printing Company in 2016 and the Pensord Group (Pensord Press, Cambrian Printers, Pensord Digital) in December 2022, with £16M+ of cumulative technology investment and £4.2M of finishing capex underpinning capacity expansion to 200M+ sheets per year.

Name

Stephens & George

Legal name

Stephens & George Ltd

Website

https://stephensandgeorge.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1912

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Stephens & George Print Group is a UK-based, family-owned sheet-fed lithographic printing company headquartered in Merthyr Tydfil, serving magazine, catalogue, brochure and commercial print customers with end-to-end design, print, finishing, and mailing services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Commercial Printing Services

NAICS

Printing (32311)

SIC

Commercial Printing (2750)

akta.pro primary industry

Print, Mailroom & Document Workflow Services (Inbound/Outbound Processing) (BPAAAKAL)

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

• Sheet-fed lithographic printing
• Magazine and catalogue printing
• Print finishing services
• Commercial print production
• Direct mail and distribution

Headquarters

HQ city

Merthyr Tydfil

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Magazine & Publication Printing: Sheet-fed lithographic printing of magazines, brochures, catalogues, programmes, and event guides. Core revenue driver representing 56% of work volume. Services include printing, folding, saddle stitching, perfect and PUR binding, laminating, and mailing.
2. Commercial Print Products: Commercial printing contracts representing 34% of work volume. Includes various printed commercial products with custom specifications.
3. One-off Print Jobs: Custom one-off printing projects representing 10% of work volume. Quote-based pricing for bespoke requirements.
4. Mailing & Despatch Services: Full mailing service for magazines and publications including paper-wrap, poly-wrap, and compostable wrapper options. Own fleet of delivery vehicles for M4 corridor, Home Counties, and London deliveries.
5. Design Services: Full design-to-delivery service including corporate identity, advertisements, brochures, leaflets, newsletters, posters, catalogues, magazine design and layouts using Adobe InDesign, Photoshop, and Illustrator.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Stephens & George is a sheet-fed lithographic printing company offering integrated end-to-end print production services for UK publishers and commercial clients. Core offerings include lithographic printing of magazines, brochures, catalogues, programmes and event guides, complemented by in-house pre-press (AGFA Apogee workflow), finishing (PUR binding, saddle stitching, folding, laminating), design, mailing and direct delivery via an owned fleet.

Product overview

Stephens & George Print Group is a sheet-fed lithographic printing company offering an integrated, end-to-end print production service. The core offering combines lithographic printing (magazines, brochures, catalogues, programmes, commercial products) with comprehensive finishing (folding, saddle stitching, perfect and PUR binding, laminating, cutting), pre-press services (AGFA Apogee workflow, colour management, CTP), and mailing (paper-wrap, poly-wrap, compostable wrap). Design services (S&G Design) and digital publication hosting (Yudu) complement the print portfolio. The company operates five Heidelberg XL106 presses with 40 total printing units and 7 Stahlfolder TH82-P units.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Sheet-Fed Lithographic Printing
• Magazine Printing
• Finishing Services
• Mailing Services
• S&G Design

Quantifiable outcome

• 21,000 sheets per hour production speed (UK's first)
• +7 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

Integration8 records

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Independent Print Industries Association (IPIA)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 February 2025Joined IPIA in February 2025. Not-for-profit trade association formed in 1990 providing industry advocacy, Government-level representation, member collaboration, and business growth support.
• Pensord Press Ltd, Cambrian Printers Ltd, and Pensord DigitalcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 December 2022Acquisition in December 2022 of Pensord Group (Pensord Press, Cambrian Printers, and Pensord Digital) by Stephens & George Print Group. Strategic acquisition strengthening position as UK's leading sheetfed print group. S&G acquired 100% of shares, ensuring continuity and stability for clients across both print groups in challenging market conditions.
• Magazine Printing CompanycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016Strategic acquisition of Magazine Printing Company in 2016 as part of expansion of capabilities and market reach.
• ECO3coreTechnology or IntegrationLong-term partnership for chemistry-free printing plates (Adamas) and Apogee workflow software. ECO3 produces offset plates in Germany for European market. S&G images over 300,000 m² of aluminium printing plates per year using ECO3's Avalon CTP equipment.
• Heidelberg UKcoreTechnology or IntegrationLong-term technology partner since 1980s supplying all printing presses. S&G operates five Heidelberg XL106 presses with 40 total printing units. Partnered to develop UK's first 21,000 sheets/hour XL106-8P with CutStar. Active member of Heidelberg UK Colour Club.
• Muller MartinicoreTechnology or IntegrationLong-term finishing equipment partner since 1987. Investment of £4.2 million in four new Muller Martini systems (two Bolero perfect binders and two Primera saddle stitchers). First company in Great Britain to invest in latest-generation Primera. Replacement cycle for Corona C15 and PrimaPlus machines.
• AntaliscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-term paper supply partnership since 1987. S&G purchases approximately 12,000 tonnes of paper annually. Partnership ensures reliable supply, fixed pricing over periods, and volume savings passed to clients.
• Glamorgan County Cricket ClubminorGTM or Marketing PartnerTwo-season sponsorship as Official Pathway Partner. Front-of-shirt branding on all Glamorgan and Wales National age-grade teams. Partnership supports youth cricket development pathway.
• Touch NetworksminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerIT infrastructure overhaul partner completing comprehensive network modernization including virtualization, SAN storage, Microsoft Exchange, phone system (NEC SV9100), and network switches. Local company with experience at Cardiff Airport.
• AGFA GraphicscoreTechnology or IntegrationLong-term pre-press technology partner since 1980s supplying Apogee workflow software and CTP equipment. S&G uses AGFA Avalon N8-80XT platesetter and Apogee Production Centre.
• World Land TrustminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCarbon balancing partner for paper products. Donations support conservation schemes. Enables S&G to offer carbon-balanced paper options to clients.
• Two SidesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember of not-for-profit global initiative seeking to minimise environmental impact and contribute to sustainable development in the print industry.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Walstead Group: One of the largest UK commercial and magazine printers with multiple UK production sites and a similar sheet-fed lithographic focus. Directly comparable to Stephens & George in target customers (magazine and catalogue publishers) and core technology (Heidelberg-driven litho production).
• Pureprint Group: UK-based commercial and publication printer with integrated design, print, and finishing capabilities. Closely comparable to Stephens & George in serving magazine and brochure publishers with high-quality lithographic output and integrated service offerings.
• Bishops Printers: Long-established UK commercial printer with deep experience in magazine, brochure, and catalogue work. Direct peer in the UK sheet-fed litho market with overlapping customer base in publishing and similar Heidelberg-led production technology.
• Westdale Press: UK-based mid-market commercial printer offering magazine, brochure, and catalogue printing with integrated finishing. Direct competitor for magazine and publication work, serving a similar publishing customer base as Stephens & George.
• Swallowtail Print: UK commercial and magazine printer with strong digital and litho capabilities, focused on short-to-medium run publications. Comparable to Stephens & George in serving magazine publishers, though typically at smaller run sizes.
• Micropress: UK-based printer offering books, magazines, and commercial print with integrated pre-press and finishing. Direct peer in the UK publication printing market, with similar Heidelberg-driven lithographic technology and overlapping publisher customers.
• Gemini Press: UK commercial printer providing magazine, brochure, and catalogue printing services with modern litho capacity. Comparable to Stephens & George in customer segments, technology profile, and integrated design-to-delivery service model.
• Precision Printing: UK-based commercial and publication printer with strong credentials in colour-critical magazine and brochure work. Direct competitor in the UK sheet-fed litho market, particularly for premium colour-managed publishing accounts.

Broad incumbents

• Polestar: Large international print group with significant UK magazine and catalogue production capacity. A broader incumbent in the same industry space — overlapping with Stephens & George's publishing customer base but operating at substantially larger scale and with a wider geographic and product footprint.
• Williams Lea: Global design, marketing, and print services provider serving enterprise customers with integrated communications production. A broader incumbent offering adjacent managed print and document services; comparable in serving large enterprise clients with complex, multi-market print needs.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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 Stephens & George