What Penstripe does

Penstripe is a UK-based bespoke printing and educational planning solutions provider, operating as a brand under Pointer Group (a private limited company registered in England and Wales, Company No. 08022088). Founded in the 1980s (originally as Leeds Booklet Company) and headquartered in Leeds, the company designs and supplies personalised student planners, teacher planners, and exercise books to primary schools, secondary schools, further education colleges, multi-academy trusts, Catholic schools, and international British-curriculum schools (e.g., Kellett School in Hong Kong). Its offering is supplemented by Knowledge Organisers and partner-curated study and revision resources, with content integrated from PSHE Education, Mind It, and Inspire Education.

The core technology is a bespoke customisation and order-management workflow: customers access the MyPenstripe online portal to upload artwork, design bespoke planners, and manage reorders, supported by a UK-based sales and artwork team. Products are 100% full-colour throughout, available in multiple sizes and binding styles (Secure Spiral Bound, ToughBind, Case Bound, Wiro, Perfect Bound, Square Back), and built to last the academic year with a delivery-on-time guarantee. The business model is one-time/per-unit sales with quote-based pricing for bespoke orders and a standard e-commerce shop for stocked items and accessories; go-to-market is primarily sales-led and direct-to-consumer, combining a website/SEO funnel, direct phone/email contact, and educational conferences.

Monetisation is per-unit: teacher planners price between £13.20 and £21.60 depending on size and features, the standalone Study Skills Guide is £15.99, and a Jack Petchey Foundation grant partnership subsidises up to £1.50 per planner for eligible London/Essex state schools. The company serves 11–50 employees and is privately held with no disclosed funding rounds, M&A activity, or institutional investors in the source material.

Name

Penstripe

Legal name

Pointer Group

Website

https://penstripe.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1980

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Penstripe is a UK-based bespoke printer (under Pointer Group) that designs and supplies personalised student planners, teacher planners, exercise books, and knowledge organisers to primary schools, secondary schools, further education colleges, multi-academy trusts, Catholic schools, and international British-curriculum schools.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Leeds

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Bespoke Student Planners: Custom-printed student planners sold to schools with personalised artwork, covers, and content. Available in A5/A6 sizes with 3 binding styles. Revenue generated per unit with pricing based on customisation level and quantity.
2. Teacher Planners: Personalised teacher planners for school staff, available in A4/B5 sizes with 3 diary styles. Sold as one-time products with custom content.
3. Exercise Books: Bespoke exercise books printed from cover to cover with custom designs, available in 4 sizes.
4. Study Skills Guide: Standalone curriculum-wide study skills guide sold directly to schools and parents for £15.99 per unit.
5. Knowledge Organisers: 100% bespoke knowledge organiser printing service for schools, available as simple sheets or bound booklets.
6. Study & Revision Packs: Comprehensive revision toolkit sold in partnership with Inspire Education, available at 20% discount for schools.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Penstripe designs, customises, prints and ships personalised student planners, teacher planners and exercise books to schools, academy trusts and colleges worldwide. All products are bespoke from cover to cover with 100% full-colour printing, available in multiple sizes and binding styles, and are supported by a UK-based artwork team and MyPenstripe online portal covering the quote-to-delivery process. The company also offers supporting products such as knowledge organisers, study and revision packs, and a standalone Study Skills Guide, with delivery on-time guarantees and products designed to last the academic year.

Product overview

Penstripe is a bespoke educational planning solutions provider offering a portfolio of personalised print products for schools. The core offerings consist of Student Planners (A5/A6 sizes with Spiral, ToughBind, or Case Bound binding options), Teacher Planners (A4/B5 sizes with various diary layouts), and Exercise Books (4 sizes with full colour printing). Supporting products include Study & Revision Packs (in partnership with Inspire Education), Knowledge Organisers, and specialised sub-products such as Primary School Planners, Pocket Student Planners, Catholic School Planners, and Jack Petchey Foundation Planners with grant funding. Accessories like Clip-In Page Marker/Rulers and Study Skills Guides are also available. All products are customisable from cover to cover, designed in the UK, and built to last the academic year.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Bespoke Student Planners Personalised student planners and diaries available in A5/A6 sizes with three binding styles (Secure Spiral Bound, ToughBind, Case Bound), with 100% full-colour printing throughout, bespoke designs or templates, and optional features including learning signals, wallets, pen loops and clip-in rulers. Sold to primary and secondary schools for homework management, behaviour tracking and curriculum organisation.
• Bespoke Teacher Planners Personalised teacher planners available in A4/B5 sizes with three diary styles, 100% full-colour printing throughout, twin loop wire binding, durable covers, day-to-page diary layouts (6 or 9 period days), year planners, half-termly planner pages and teaching/homework timetables. Sold to schools for curriculum planning, class scheduling and administrative organisation.
• Bespoke Exercise Books Personalised exercise books available in four sizes, with 100% full-colour printing throughout, customisable from cover to cover with options for binding (Square Back, Wiro, Perfect Binding), paper weights and ruling options. Sold to schools for student workbooks and branded classroom materials.
• Knowledge Organisers 100% bespoke knowledge organisers designed to align with a school's curriculum, supporting revision, retrieval practice and long-term learning across the whole curriculum. Available in A4 or A5 sizes with Square Back, Wiro, or Perfect binding options. Sold to secondary schools and FE institutions.
• Study & Revision Pack A comprehensive revision toolkit including a Study Skills Guide, A3 Study Mapping Pad, A2 Wall Planner, Q&A Cards & Organiser, Revision Cards and Cornell Note-Taking Pad. Sold to schools in partnership with Inspire Education at an exclusive 20% discount.
• Student Planner Clip-In Page Marker/Ruler Accessory combining a 21cm ruler, today marker and 2 to 12 times table. Shatterproof and safe, designed to clip into Spiral Bound Student Planners. Sold in packs of 25 at £7.50 per pack.
• Study Skills Guide GCSE or Post-16 Study Skills Guide equipping students and parents with research-backed study, revision and exam techniques. Curriculum-wide resource with four focused sections, real-world examples, practical strategies and video tutorials. Sold standalone at £15.99 inc. VAT or as part of the Study & Revision Pack at a 20% bulk discount for schools.

Quantifiable outcome

• Products guaranteed to last the academic year, reducing replacement costs
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• PSHE EducationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPSHE Education provides expert content on personal, social, health and economic education integrated into Penstripe's student planners. Founded by Kate Daniels, PSHE Education focuses on digital literacy and responsible social media use, helping students balance digital engagement with focused learning.
• Mind ItcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMind It is a leading wellbeing organisation providing expert mental health guidance for student planners. Penstripe has partnered with Mind It to offer tips from their experts on managing student stress and supporting student mental health and wellbeing.
• Inspire EducationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInspire Education has worked with thousands of students across numerous schools on study and revision techniques. Penstripe offers their Study & Revision Skills Pack, including Study Skills Guide, A3 Study Mapping Pad, A2 Wall Planner, Q&A Cards, Revision Cards, and Cornell Note-taking Pad at exclusive 20% discount for schools.
• Jack Petchey FoundationcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerThe Jack Petchey Foundation provides grants of up to £1,500 to state-funded secondary schools and sixth forms in London and Essex for Penstripe student planners. Schools can apply for £1.00 per planner (or £3.00 for special schools) subsidising the cost of quality planners.
• Pointer GroupcoreOthersPenstripe is a Pointer Group brand. Pointer Group is registered in England and Wales (Company No. 08022088) with registered office at Adwalton House, Bruntcliffe Avenue, Leeds, LS27 0LL. Pointer Group also owns SaniStation, Anton Visual, and Oakway Storage brands.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Filofax: Long-established UK-origin organiser and planner maker with highly customisable personal/binding options. Closely comparable to Penstripe's bespoke planner proposition, although Filofax serves consumers/professionals rather than schools.
• Moleskine: Global notebook and planner brand with customisable covers and dated diary formats. Comparable product category (premium bound planners/diaries) and overlapping customisation workflow to Penstripe.
• Legami: Italian-designed stationery and planner brand with customisable notebooks and academic diaries. Overlaps with Penstripe's student-planner and exercise-book categories, particularly in the younger student segment.
• Castelli: Italian notebook and diary manufacturer serving both consumer and B2B/education channels with customisable covers. Comparable bespoke-bound planner/diary production to Penstripe.
• Leuchtturm1917: German premium notebook and planner maker with strong customisation (numbered pages, dotted ruling, custom embossing). Directly analogous product category to Penstripe's bespoke diary offerings.

Broad incumbents

• WHSmith: UK high-street and online retailer of stationery, books, and educational supplies. Competes indirectly through its own diary and education ranges and serves the same UK school buyer as Penstripe.
• Ryman: UK stationery retailer with a strong education vertical, supplying schools, teachers, and students. Overlaps with Penstripe in teacher planners, exercise books, and school-channel distribution.
• Lyreco: Pan-European B2B distributor of workplace and education supplies. Comparable B2B school-customer motion and overlapping product categories (exercise books, planners, stationery).
• Stabilo: German writing-instrument manufacturer with a dedicated education segment (highlighters, pens for students). Adjacent school-stationery supplier competing for the same school budget as Penstripe.
• Faber-Castell: Global writing-instrument and art-supply manufacturer with a strong education channel. Competes for school stationery spend and shares an emphasis on durability and full-year use claims with Penstripe's planners.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/penstripe_
• Facebookfacebook.com/penstripe1
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/penstripe

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries3 records

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 Penstripe