B&K Offset Printing
B&K Offsetdruck GmbH is a family-owned German commercial offset and digital printer producing magazines, catalogs, books, mailings, and personalized print for publishers, mail-order firms, retailers, and industrial clients from a 17,000+ m² facility in Ottersweier.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1973
- HeadquartersOttersweier, Germany
- Headcount251–500
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What B&K Offset Printing does
B&K Offsetdruck GmbH is a family-owned commercial offset printing company headquartered in Ottersweier, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Operating from a 17,000+ m² production facility in three-shift mode, B&K runs 54 printing groups across sheet-fed offset (Bogenoffset), web offset (Rollenoffset), and digital printing technologies, including the world's first Heidelberg Speedmaster XL 106-10-P+L 10-color perfecting press installed in June 2020 as part of a €4 million capital investment. The company produces magazines, brochures, catalogs, books, mailings, coupons, calendars, ad specials, and stickers for publishing houses, mail-order companies, retail/trade businesses, and industrial clients, with a strong specialization in creative finishing (UV varnish, soft-touch coating, hot foil stamping, metallic and scented varnishes).
B&K's revenue model is primarily project-based B2B printing services priced per quote based on volume, paper, color, and finishing specifications, supplemented by recurring online marketing portal solutions for standardized print materials. The company pursues a sales-led go-to-market through a dedicated direct sales team covering Germany and France (with a French-language website and francophone sales contacts). Named enterprise customers include major German consumer magazine publishers (InStyle, Grazia, Focus, Bunte, Elle, Freundin, TV-Spielfilm) and premium retailer Douglas, with hybrid offset/digital variable data printing used to support personalized direct-mail campaigns.
The business is differentiated by a rare stack of environmental and quality certifications — Blauer Engel, FSC, PEFC, EMAS, EU Ecolabel, ISO 9001:2015, ISO 14001:2015, and CrefoZert — and by integration with Deutsche Post AG for postal optimization. B&K is owned and led by Managing Director and proprietor Jörn Kalbhenn; the firm employs over 230 people from 16 nationalities, runs an active apprenticeship program, and operates without external institutional investors or disclosed funding rounds.
B&K Offset Printing firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- B&K Offset Printing
- Legal name
- B&K Offsetdruck GmbH
- Website
- https://bk-offset.de
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1973
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 251–500 employees
- Short description
- B&K Offsetdruck GmbH is a family-owned German commercial offset and digital printer producing magazines, catalogs, books, mailings, and personalized print for publishers, mail-order firms, retailers, and industrial clients from a 17,000+ m² facility in Ottersweier.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
B&K Offset Printing industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Commercial Printing Services
- NAICS
- Commercial Printing (except Screen and Books) (323111), Printing (32311), Support Activities for Printing (32312)
- SIC
- Converted Paper & Paperboard Prods (No Contaners/Boxes) (2670)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Commercial & Offset Printing (Sheetfed/Web) (MPAJALAB)
Keywords
Where B&K Offset Printing is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Ottersweier
- HQ country
- Germany
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
B&K Offset Printing business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Offset printing services: Sheet-fed and web offset printing services for magazines, catalogs, brochures, books, and promotional materials. Revenue generated from print production runs with various finishing options including special colors, varnishes, laminates, and special processing.
- Digital printing services: Digital printing for short runs, personalized prints, and on-demand production. Enables customization through variable data publishing (VDP) and personalization capabilities.
- Logistics and fulfillment services: Complete logistics services including packing, shipping, storage, and on-demand delivery. Handles approximately 50,000 palettes annually with integrated postal optimization services.
- Marketing portal solutions: Online marketing portals for standardized recurring print materials, enabling clients to order business cards, commercial documents, and advertising materials through company-branded platforms.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Custom print production - pricing based on specifications |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels4 records
B&K Offset Printing product offering
Product offeringCore offering
B&K Offsetdruck GmbH is a German commercial printing company that develops, prints and produces professional print, digital, hybrid and shop solutions for publishers, mail-order companies, retail and industrial clients. Its offering spans sheet-fed and web offset printing, digital printing, variable data publishing, hybrid production, extensive in-house finishing and embellishment, post-press processing, and complete logistics, packing, shipping and storage services — delivered from a 17,000+ m² three-shift facility in Ottersweier with up to 80 million DIN A4 pages of daily capacity.
Product overview
B&K Offset Printing (B&K Offsetdruck GmbH) is a German offset printing company offering a comprehensive portfolio of print products and services. The core product lineup includes Covers, Brochures & Supplements, Booklets, Magazines, Stickers, Hits for Kids, Coupons, Mailings & Self-mailings, Calendars, Ad Specials, and Books. The company operates across three main printing technologies: Digital Print, Sheet Offset Print, and Web Offset Print, complemented by Hybrid Production capabilities. Supporting services include Variable Data Publishing for personalization, extensive Finishing & Embellishment options (UV varnish, lamination, hot foil stamping, scented varnish, etc.), Post-Press Processing, and Logistics/Packing/Shipping/Storage. As specialists in special print enhancements and creative paper mechanics, B&K accompanies customers from idea to finished product, serving publishers, mail order companies, trade, and industry.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Covers (Umschläge) Magazine and catalog covers with special print finishing (UV varnish, spot coating, inline finishing) designed to be optically and haptically appealing for publishers.
- Brochures & Supplements (Prospekte • Beilagen) Printed promotional brochures and inserted supplements for catalogs and magazines.
- Booklets Handy-format booklets with high-end appearance enhanced by innovative embellishments and special finishes.
- Magazines, Brochures & Catalogues Full-range magazines, brochures and catalogs produced with high quality standards for medium to large print runs.
- Stickers High-quality, durable and original stickers functioning as interactive marketing instruments, including fully recyclable options.
- Coupons Printed coupon solutions that can be personalized and enhanced with various finishing options.
- Mailings & Self-mailers Direct marketing mailings and self-mailer solutions designed with creativity, personalization and haptic impact to increase customer attention and drive purchases.
- Supplementary Booklets (Beihefter) Inserted supplementary booklets for various publications.
- Calendars Decorative and durable advertising calendars in various formats with refined finishing, individualization or personalization options.
- Ad Specials Creative advertising inserts including pop-ups, sliding mechanisms, sophisticated folding techniques, gift samples and serialized codes for games and access.
- Books Professional book printing with PUR adhesive binding, sewn binding, softcover and hardcover, with protective varnish and finishing.
- Digital Print Services Flexible digital printing for economic production from the first copy, with personalization capabilities in black or color via Heidelberg Versafire EP/EV and Canon imagePrograf PRO-4100S presses.
- Sheet Offset Print Services (Bogenoffset) High-quality sheet-fed offset printing with up to 10/0 or 4/6 colors plus dispersion varnish in a single pass at 18,000 sheets/hour, including the world's first Heidelberg Speedmaster XL 106-10-P+L 10-color perfecting press.
- Web Offset Print Services (Rollenoffset) Fast web-fed offset printing with three 5-color KBA presses at 70,000 sheets/hour, handling newspapers, catalogs, brochures and ad specials by the millions.
- Hybrid Production Flexible combination of offset and digital printing with color management ensuring consistent results, enabling pre-produced static images with personalized digital overlays.
- Variable Data Publishing (VDP) Personalized communication through variable data publishing that addresses each customer individually with customized messages to increase response rates.
- Finishing & Embellishment Comprehensive finishing services including UV varnish, dispersion varnish, soft-touch coating, iriodin varnish, drip-off varnish, hot foil stamping, textured varnish, scented varnish and lamination.
- Post-Press Processing Professional further processing including cutting, folding (14 folding machines), binding (3 perfect binders), packaging and shipping, with inline punching, fluorescent colors and Drip-Off combinations.
- Logistics, Packing, Shipping & Storage Complete logistics services including secure delivery, on-demand shipping from warehouse stock and economical shipping for approximately 50,000 pallets annually, with Deutsche Post postal optimization.
- Online Marketing Portals Online marketing portals for standardized recurring print materials, enabling clients to order business cards, commercial documents and advertising materials through company-branded platforms on a recurring subscription basis.
Quantifiable outcome
- 4.5% conversion rate increase and 12% higher order value for e-commerce customers using personalized print mailings
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use B&K Offset Printing
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
B&K Offset Printing technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
B&K Offset Printing partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.
- DouglascorePremium beauty retailer using B&K's hybrid print production with variable data publishing for personalized mailings. Douglas works with B&K for complete mailshot handling from planning through postal delivery to end customers.
- FairEnergiesupportingLocal energy supplier providing electricity with 257g/kWh CO2 factor used for calculating B&K's environmental impact and carbon savings from efficiency measures.
- Deutsche Post AGcoreB&K is Performance-Partner and GoGreen-Partner of Deutsche Post, using their postal services for mailshot delivery with port optimization services to maximize postage discounts.
Scale indicators13 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
B&K Offset Printing competitors and assessment
Company assessmentRegional players
- CEWE Stiftung & Co. KGaA: European photo and commercial printing group headquartered in Germany. Comparable as a German Mittelstand printing business with strong retail and consumer-direct channels, but skews more toward photo/consumer products than B&K's publisher and mail-order focus.
Broad incumbents
- Cimpress plc: Global mass-customization printing platform owning multiple brands across signage, packaging, apparel and commercial print. Comparable as a broad incumbent in commercial printing and direct-mail adjacent services, but with a fundamentally web-to-print/aggregation model distinct from B&K's project-based premium offset work.
- Quad/Graphics: Large North American commercial printer serving magazine publishers, retailers and direct mailers. Comparable in offset, catalog and direct-mail capabilities, though primarily serving the U.S. market rather than competing with B&K in Europe.
- Arvato (Bertelsmann Printing Group): One of Europe's largest printing conglomerates offering offset, digital and fulfillment across multiple verticals. Comparable as a broad incumbent with overlapping magazine, catalog and retail printing services, though at much larger scale and with a different ownership structure.
Others
- Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG: Manufacturer of the Speedmaster presses B&K operates (including its flagship 10-color perfecting press). Relevant as the principal equipment partner whose roadmap drives B&K's capability evolution, though it is a supplier rather than a printing peer.
- Koenig & Bauer AG (KBA): Manufacturer of the KBA C16 and C217 web offset presses in B&K's fleet. Comparable as a key equipment supplier whose technology decisions directly affect B&K's web offset competitiveness and capex cycle.
- Canon Production Printing (formerly Océ): Vendor of the imagePrograf and Versafire-class production printing systems B&K uses for digital and large-format work. Comparable as a technology partner shaping B&K's digital and hybrid roadmap rather than as a competing printer.
- CPI Group (Loxahatchee): Global printing services platform with European footprint serving publishers and corporate clients. Comparable as a broad-services peer adjacent to B&K's premium commercial offset offering, but with weaker overlap in special finishing and embellishment.
Emerging players
- Landa Digital Printing: Nanographic digital printing technology provider targeting commercial offset replacement. Comparable as an emerging technology whose adoption by competitors could disrupt parts of B&K's short-run offset business, though not yet a direct printing peer.
Direct peers
- Onlineprinters (Tradeprint / Cimpress): Online commercial offset and digital printer serving European SMBs with high-volume production. Closest direct peer in scale and European commercial offset/digital focus, though B&K emphasizes premium finishing while Onlineprinters emphasizes web-to-print scale.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
B&K Offset Printing social profiles
Digital presenceB&K Offset Printing compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance8 records
B&K Offset Printing financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
B&K Offset Printing leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
B&K Offset Printing funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
B&K Offset Printing M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about B&K Offset Printing
What does B&K Offset Printing do?
B&K Offsetdruck GmbH is a German commercial printing company that develops, prints and produces professional print, digital, hybrid and shop solutions for publishers, mail-order companies, retail and industrial clients. Its offering spans sheet-fed and web offset printing, digital printing, variable data publishing, hybrid production, extensive in-house finishing and embellishment, post-press processing, and complete logistics, packing, shipping and storage services — delivered from a 17,000+ m² three-shift facility in Ottersweier with up to 80 million DIN A4 pages of daily capacity.
Is B&K Offset Printing a public or private company?
B&K Offset Printing is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was B&K Offset Printing founded?
B&K Offset Printing was founded in 1973. It employs 251 to 500 people.
Where is B&K Offset Printing based?
B&K Offset Printing is headquartered in Ottersweier, Germany, in the Europe region.
How does B&K Offset Printing make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Offset printing services are the primary driver. The others are digital printing services, logistics and fulfillment services and marketing portal solutions.
Who are B&K Offset Printing's main competitors?
CEWE Stiftung & Co. KGaA is listed as a regional player. Broad incumbents are Cimpress plc, Quad/Graphics and Arvato (Bertelsmann Printing Group). Others are Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG, Koenig & Bauer AG (KBA), Canon Production Printing (formerly Océ) and CPI Group (Loxahatchee). Landa Digital Printing is listed as an emerging player. Onlineprinters (Tradeprint / Cimpress) is listed as a direct peer.
Does B&K Offset Printing have an API?
No public API is recorded for B&K Offset Printing.
What industry is B&K Offset Printing in?
B&K Offset Printing's product category is Commercial Printing Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAJALAB, Commercial & Offset Printing (Sheetfed/Web). Its NAICS code is 323111 and its SIC code is 2670.