Acorn Printing Services Ltd

What Acorn Printing Services Ltd does

Acorn Printing Services Ltd is a UK-based custom apparel printing and embroidery company founded in 1985 and headquartered at Falkland Close, Charter Avenue Industrial Estate, Coventry, West Midlands. The company specialises in decorating garments (T-shirts, hoodies, polos, sweatshirts, fleeces, jackets, workwear, sportswear, teamwear, headwear, bags, and accessories) sourced from manufacturer brands such as Stormtech, Portwest, Regatta Professional, Clique, Henbury, and Behrens, as well as from its own Printer Prime sub-brand. Decoration methods in-house include DTG (Direct-to-Garment), screen printing, vinyl, DTF (Direct-to-Film), sublimation, and embroidery, and the company will print or embroider customer-supplied garments as well as its own blanks. The business is operated through in-house design and production teams split into a small-order section (serving clubs, groups, and tours) and a corporate section (serving advertising agencies, event management clients, and larger workwear programmes).

The firm runs a quote-based sales model delivered through a self-service e-commerce storefront, a Quick Quote workflow, phone (freephone 0800 0190 552) and email channels, and free in-person collection from Coventry. Pricing is per unit with volume-tier discounts ranging from 5% at 6+ items to 35% at 500+ items, excludes VAT at 20%, and is non-returnable on special orders. Distribution is domestic UK-wide via DPD and Royal Mail, with Northern Ireland included but international shipping restricted. The customer base is unusually diverse for a 7-person operation, spanning over 200 UK universities and colleges (Oxford, Cambridge, Warwick, LSE, UCL, and others), UK and US military (British Army, Royal Air Force, US Air Force), government (HM Prison Service), large corporates (IKEA, GAP, Marriott, Stagecoach, Gilbert Rugby), entertainment (Royal Shakespeare Company, Time Team, Tussauds), automotive (Guy Salmon), and a long tail of charities (British Heart Foundation, Barnardo's, Salvation Army, St John Ambulance, Sepsis Trust, among others). Acorn is a private limited company, family-owned and bootstrapped, with no external investors, parent company, or funding rounds disclosed, and operates with no public ticker.

Name

Acorn Printing Services Ltd

Legal name

Acorn Printing Services Ltd

Website

https://acorn-printing.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Acorn Printing Services Ltd is a UK-based custom apparel printing and embroidery company founded in 1985 in Coventry, serving universities, corporates, government, military, and charities with DTG, screen printing, embroidery, and DTF decoration services across a 7-person owner-operated operation.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Custom Apparel Printing & Embroidery Services

NAICS

Printing (32311)

SIC

Coating, Engraving & Allied Services (3470)

akta.pro primary industry

Custom Printing & Decoration Services (Screen Print, Embroidery, Laser) (BPAFAMAL)

Keywords

• Custom apparel printing
• Garment embroidery services
• Promotional merchandise printing
• Workwear customisation
• Leavers hoodie printing

Headquarters

HQ city

Coventry

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Custom Apparel Printing and Embroidery: The company generates revenue by providing custom printing and embroidery services on apparel and garments. Orders are based on individual quotes tailored to specific customer needs, including personalisation details, quantities, and decoration methods. This is a transaction-based revenue model where prices exclude VAT and volume discounts apply.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Acorn Printing Services Ltd provides custom printing and embroidery decoration on apparel and garments for UK customers. Using six in-house decoration methods (DTG, screen printing, vinyl, DTF, sublimation, and embroidery), the company decorates both its own stocked garments and customer-supplied garments across categories including T-shirts, hoodies, polos, sweatshirts, fleece, jackets, workwear, teamwear, headwear and accessories. Orders are quote-based and supported by an e-commerce storefront, phone/email sales, and free collection from its Coventry production facility.

Product overview

Acorn Printing Services Ltd is a UK-based custom clothing printing and embroidery service established in 1985, offering a unified custom apparel platform. Their core offering centers on custom T-shirt printing, hoodie printing, and embroidered workwear for businesses, schools, and events. The product portfolio includes branded apparel across multiple categories (T-shirts, hoodies, polos, sweatshirts, fleece, jackets, workwear, corporate wear, sports, teamwear, cricket, headwear, bags, and accessories) from manufacturer brands such as Stormtech, Portwest, Regatta Professional, Clique, Henbury, Behrens, and their own Printer Prime sub-brand. They provide multiple decoration methods including DTG printing, sublimation, embroidery, screen printing, vinyl one colour printing, and DTF printing. Customers can browse products, design custom artwork, and order via their e-commerce platform with quote-based pricing.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Leavers Hoodies for Schools, Colleges and Universities Custom printed and embroidered leavers hoodies produced for school, college and university year groups and cohorts, with volume discounts, in-house design support and multiple decoration methods available.
• Custom T-shirt Printing Service Custom printed T-shirts using DTG, screen printing, vinyl, DTF or sublimation methods on Acorn's stocked garments or customer-supplied garments, ordered via quote-based pricing.
• Custom Hoodie Printing Service Custom printed and embroidered hoodies for groups, teams, schools and corporate buyers using multiple decoration methods.
• Embroidered Workwear and Corporate Uniforms Printed and embroidered workwear and corporate uniforms for businesses, retailers, hospitality, government and military customers, using in-house embroidery and printing on workwear garments.
• Custom T-Shirts and Promotional Merchandise for Events Custom printed apparel and promotional merchandise for events, tours, clubs and organisations, supported by Acorn's small-order division and quick quote functionality.
• Banners, Flags and Gazebos Custom printed banners, flags and gazebos supplied alongside Acorn's custom apparel services for events, promotions and exhibitions.
• Printer Prime Own-Brand Apparel Collection Acorn's own-brand apparel range including T-shirts, hoodies, sweatshirts, polos, softshells and padded softshells available for custom decoration via embroidery, screen printing, sublimation, vinyl and DTF.
• Stormtech Women's Epsilon 2 Softshell Stocked Stormtech outerwear blank garment (HR-1W) with H2XTREME 8000/5000 waterproof/breathable fabric, mechanical stretch and grid back fleece lining, available for custom decoration.
• Stormtech Men's Epsilon System Jacket Stocked Stormtech three-in-one system jacket (HR-2) with matrix fleece lining, zip-out thermal shell liner and PFC-free water repellent finish, available for custom decoration.
• Portwest DX4 Service Trousers Stocked Portwest workwear trouser (PW267) made with Titanmill Pro stretch fabric, 11 pockets and 40+ UPF rated fabric, available for custom decoration.
• Portwest Women's PW3 Hi-Vis Stretch Trousers Stocked Portwest hi-vis workwear trouser (PW431) with Texpel Stain Eco finish, EN ISO 20471 certification after 25 washes and segmented reflective tape, available for custom decoration.
• Clique Basic T (Men's) Stocked Clique men's round knitted t-shirt (CQ029030) available for custom decoration via DTG printing, embroidery, screen printing, vinyl or DTF printing.
• Clique Ladies Basic T Stocked Clique ladies' t-shirt (CQ029031) with closer fit, neck tape and elastane in neck rib, available for custom decoration.
• Premium Kids Hoodie (MHR) Stocked Cottonridge premium kids hoodie (W72K) targeted at leavers hoodies, available for custom embroidery, screen printing, vinyl or DTF printing.
• Behrens Eco Tech Gilet Stocked Behrens cricket and teamwear gilet (ECO-TECH-GILET) available with DTG printing, embroidery, screen printing, vinyl or DTF decoration.

Named customers22 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

Feature1 record

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Garment Printing: UK custom garment printing company offering screen printing, DTG, embroidery, and DTF services for clothing and accessories. Directly overlaps Acorn's decoration capabilities and target customer segments.
• T-Shirt Studio: UK online custom T-shirt printing service offering personalised apparel for individuals, groups, and businesses with multi-decoration capabilities. Directly comparable to Acorn's e-commerce-led custom T-shirt offering.
• AWD (AWDis): UK-based custom apparel printing and decoration company with strong position in education, sportswear, and corporate uniforms. Comparable to Acorn in product categories served and decoration technology.
• Banana Moon: UK custom clothing printer specialising in screen printing, embroidery, and DTG decoration for workwear, teamwear, and promotional apparel. Similar SMB-to-enterprise customer mix and decoration service breadth.
• ProActive Clothing: UK custom clothing company providing screen printing, embroidery, and DTG services for schools, businesses, and clubs. Competes head-to-head with Acorn in the education and SMB leavers-hoodies market.
• CustomPlanet: UK-based custom clothing printing and embroidery service offering personalised apparel for schools, universities, businesses, and events. Closely comparable to Acorn across product range, decoration methods, and customer base.
• Clothes2Order: UK custom apparel printing and embroidery specialist serving enterprise, education, and event clients with multiple decoration methods. Directly competes with Acorn in branded workwear, teamwear, and uniform printing.

Broad incumbents

• Spreadshirt: European custom apparel platform offering personalised T-shirts, hoodies, and teamwear via online tools. Adjacent competitor to Acorn in UK custom clothing, with broader geographic reach and self-service design tooling.
• Vistaprint: Large global online printing services platform offering apparel, signage, and marketing materials. Overlaps with Acorn in custom apparel but operates at much greater scale with broader product portfolio.

Emerging players

• Printful: Global print-on-demand platform serving creators, SMBs, and enterprise brands with DTG, embroidery, and sublimation. Competes with Acorn on technology and online fulfilment experience rather than direct UK custom service.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/acornprinting
• YouTubeyoutube.com/acornprinting
• Facebookfacebook.com/AcornPrintingUK
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/acorn-printing-services-ltd

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Acorn Printing Services Ltd