What Webstar does

Webstar is New Zealand's largest commercial printer and a wholly-owned division of Blue Star Group (Blue Star Group (New Zealand) Limited), operating a single state-of-the-art production facility at 114 Swanson Road, Henderson, Auckland, established in 2010 after winning the largest print contract in New Zealand. Founded in 1997, the company delivers high-volume, high-quality print and digital media solutions — magazines, catalogues, directories, flyers, direct mail, promotional materials, and large format — to millions of New Zealand homes and businesses weekly, serving major retail and publishing clients. Service offerings are differentiated by ISO-calibrated colour reproduction, FSC and PEFC chain-of-custody paper sourcing, and Toitū enviromark Diamond certification, with 50+ Pride in Print Gold Medals supporting brand credibility.

The company's technology stack centres on a full PDF workflow built on the Adobe PostScript Print Engine (APPE), supporting PDF 1.3 through 1.6 with recommended PDF 1.5+, complemented by Veripress on-press digital softproofing calibrated to ISO standards. Webstar Online provides self-service file delivery and approval, preflight warnings for sub-170dpi images, ISO colour profile downloads, and secure file transfer via sFTP or HTTPS using SHA-256 with RSA encryption plus IP-based access control. An extensive format range (Quarto, Tabloid, Broadsheet, Square, Digest, Delta Fold, A4, A5) and integrated print management services (mailing, inserting, flow wrapping, variable data application, campaign coordination) support end-to-end campaign execution.

The business model is B2B enterprise field sales with quote-based pricing tied to volume, format, finishing, and delivery requirements, supplemented by self-service online tools for existing clients. Webstar generates revenue through per-job production fees on high-volume print contracts. Leadership comprises General Manager Robin Bowkett, Sales Director Sudhir Poojari, Auckland Operations lead Adam Torrington, and Technical Innovations Manager Steve Lonergan. The company operates exclusively in New Zealand with no disclosed revenue, no external funding, and no AI/ML capabilities identified in the source material.

Name

Webstar

Legal name

Blue Star Group (New Zealand) Limited

Website

https://webstar.co.nz

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Webstar is New Zealand's largest commercial printer and a Blue Star Group division, producing high-volume magazines, catalogues, direct mail, and large format print for major retail and publishing clients from a single Auckland facility, with ISO-calibrated colour, FSC/PEFC chain-of-custody, and Webstar Online PDF workflow tooling.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Commercial Printing Services

NAICS

Commercial Printing (except Screen and Books) (323111), Printing (32311), Printing and Related Support Activities (3231)

SIC

Commercial Printing (2750), Services-Direct Mail Advertising Services (7331), Services-Mailing, Reproduction, Commercial Art & Photography (7330)

akta.pro primary industry

Commercial & Offset Printing (Sheetfed/Web) (MPAJALAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Mailing, Inserting & Distribution Services (Addressing, Direct Mail, Kitting) (MPAJALAH), Digital Printing (Short-Run, Variable Data) (MPAJALAC), Finishing & Post-Press Services (Cutting, Folding, Collating, Laminating, Foil, Emboss) (MPAJALAF), Large-Format & Specialty Printing (Signage, Posters, Displays) (MPAJALAD)

Keywords

• Commercial printing
• Print management
• Magazine production
• Large format printing
• Direct mail services

Headquarters

HQ city

Auckland

HQ country

New Zealand

HQ region

Oceania

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Supply Chain, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Print Production Services: High-volume print and digital media solutions including magazines, catalogues, direct mail, flyers, promotions, and large format printing. Revenue generated from per-job production fees based on volume, format complexity, and finishing requirements.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Webstar provides high-volume commercial printing services in New Zealand, producing magazines, catalogues, directories, flyers, promotions, direct mail and large format print, alongside dedicated print management services for enterprise publishers and retail brands. The company operates an end-to-end production workflow including a full PDF workflow with APPE, Veripress on-press digital softproofing and secure file transfer, supported by the Webstar Online customer portal for job submission and proofing.

Product overview

Webstar is New Zealand's leading print communications company offering a unified multi-platform print service portfolio. The core offering comprises high-volume magazines and publications, catalogues and directories, flyers and promotions, direct mail with variable data application, print management services, and large format printing. All products share the same production infrastructure at Webstar's Auckland facility, using a range of print formats (Quarto, Tabloid, Broadsheet, Square, Digest, Delta Fold, A4, A5). Webstar Online serves as the internal platform for managing PDF workflows, file delivery, colour standards (ISO-based), and secure file transfer — supporting the entire product range with unified technical specifications and quality controls.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Magazines & Publications

Quantifiable outcome

• 98% waste recycled per year
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Blue Star GroupcoreOthersWebstar is a wholly-owned division of Blue Star Group (Blue Star Print Group / Blue Star New Zealand), New Zealand's largest print group. This provides access to complementary print services and enables total solutions for clients regardless of job size or complexity. The relationship provides operational backing, group purchasing power, and ability to offer comprehensive print solutions.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• IVE Group: IVE Group is one of Australia's largest print and communications groups, offering commercial printing, direct mail, catalogues, and integrated marketing solutions to enterprise retail and publishing clients. It is a direct regional peer to Webstar, with a similar service mix and customer base across high-volume catalogues, magazines, and personalised direct mail.
• PMP Limited: PMP Limited is an Australian commercial printing and marketing services group serving retail catalogues, magazines, and direct marketing clients. Comparable to Webstar as a trans-Tasman peer in high-volume catalogue and magazine printing for major retail brands, with similar one-stop-shop positioning.

Broad incumbents

• Dai Nippon Printing: Dai Nippon Printing is one of the world's largest printing conglomerates, offering commercial printing, packaging, and information communications services globally. Comparable to Webstar as a broad incumbent in the print industry at substantially greater scale and geographic reach.
• Toppan Printing: Toppan is a global Japanese printing conglomerate with operations spanning commercial printing, packaging, and digital media. Comparable to Webstar at much larger scale as a broad incumbent in commercial print and integrated media production.
• TC Transcontinental: TC Transcontinental is a major Canadian-based printing and packaging group with operations across North America, including retail flyer printing, magazine production, and direct marketing. Comparable to Webstar as a broad incumbent serving similar retail and publishing customers with high-volume printed media.
• Blue Star Group: Blue Star Group is Webstar's parent company and New Zealand's largest print group, offering a broader portfolio of print and print-related services across multiple brands and formats. It is comparable as the umbrella entity within which Webstar operates, providing group resources and complementary capabilities.
• Cimpress (Vista): Cimpress is a global mass-customization printing platform operating brands like VistaPrint and Print.com across business cards, marketing materials, and commercial print. It is comparable to Webstar as a broad incumbent in the broader print industry, though Webstar focuses on high-volume enterprise work while Cimpress operates a long-tail mass customization model.
• Quad/Graphics: Quad/Graphics is one of North America's largest commercial printers, offering high-volume catalogues, magazines, direct mail, and integrated marketing services. Comparable to Webstar at a larger scale as a broad incumbent in retail catalogue and magazine production for enterprise publishers and retailers.

Emerging players

• Multi-Color Corporation: Multi-Color Corporation is a global label and packaging printing specialist serving consumer goods brands across multiple categories. It is comparable to Webstar as an adjacent print services provider serving enterprise FMCG/retail customers, though focused on labels rather than catalogues and direct mail.

Regional players

• Opus Print Group: Opus Print Group is a New Zealand-based print and packaging services group operating across multiple print segments. Comparable to Webstar as a domestic NZ print peer competing for some of the same retail, publishing, and direct marketing work in the New Zealand market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 Webstar