Universitas

What Universitas does

Universitas (legal entity: Uni van 1991 NV) is a family-owned Belgian digital printing company headquartered in Schoten, founded in 1991. The company operates a 3.2 million-prints-per-day production facility delivering 90% of orders next-day and producing over 100,000 books annually on-demand. Its core offering spans digital print-on-demand for books, course materials, marketing collateral, and business documents, complemented by a dedicated Cursusdienst subsidiary serving the education and training sector. The business serves a mix of SMEs and enterprise customers including Cevora, Verso Food, Standaard Boekhandel, and Wolters Kluwer, with Benelux-region distribution supported by its own delivery fleet and a partnership with Bubble Post for emissions-free last-mile delivery.

The company differentiates technically through in-house development of custom workflow-automation software tailored to individual enterprise clients' document and print processes, embedding itself into customer operations. Operations emphasize sustainability, using FSC-certified paper and the Bubble Post eco-delivery channel. Universitas is privately held by the founding family, employs between 22 and 28 people, and has operated continuously for over three decades with reportedly low staff turnover.

The business model is project- and volume-based print services revenue, augmented by bespoke software development engagements and a recurring course-materials revenue stream via Cursusdienst. Go-to-market is direct B2B sales, anchored by long-tenured enterprise relationships and a broader SME customer base. There is no public disclosure of revenue, pricing structure, or external funding; the company has remained self-funded since inception.

Name

Universitas

Legal name

Uni van 1991 NV

Website

https://universitas.be

Company type

Private

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Universitas is a family-owned Belgian digital printing company (founded 1991, Schoten) offering print-on-demand services, custom workflow-automation software, and course materials to enterprise and SME customers across the Benelux region.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Digital Printing Services

NAICS

Printing and Related Support Activities (323), Support Activities for Printing (323120), Custom Computer Programming Services (541511)

SIC

Service Industries For The Printing Trade (2790), Services-Computer Programming Services (7371), Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)

akta.pro primary industry

POD Platform Software & Workflow Automation (Order Routing, Prepress, MIS) (MPAJANAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Textbook & Academic Print-on-Demand (Coursepacks, Monographs, Journals) (MPAJANAB), Business, Professional & Reference Print-on-Demand (Manuals, Standards, Handbooks) (MPAJANAF), Print‑to‑Mail & Distribution Services (Fulfillment, Kitting, Direct Mail to Students) (EDAEAJAH)

Keywords

• Digital printing services
• Print on demand
• Book binding services
• Workflow automation software
• Course material printing

Headquarters

HQ city

Schoten

HQ country

Belgium

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Print Products: Core revenue from digital printing services including business cards, brochures, posters, course materials, books, and all types of print work. Services range from 1 copy to large volumes across a wide range of formats. Revenue is generated through one-time transactional sales with pricing based on volume and specifications.
2. Custom Software Development: Development of proprietary software solutions for workflow automation and Print-on-Demand systems, tailored to specific customer needs. Includes analysis, realization, and ongoing support by experienced IT specialists.
3. Course Material Services: Operation of course services for educational institutions including external course service (cursusdienst.be) and internal campus shops. Involves order management, inventory, production tracking, and retail point-of-sale operations.
4. Design and Prepress Services: Layout and design services by graphic specialists creating contemporary finished products. Part of full-service package from advice and layout through printing and finishing.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Universitas is an innovative, sustainable digital printing company offering a full-service package from advice and layout design, through printing and finishing, to delivery and mailing, plus custom Print-on-Demand (POD) workflow automation software. The company produces all types of print and print work — from business cards, brochures and posters to course materials and books — ranging from a single copy to large volumes in a wide range of formats. It also develops proprietary software solutions for course management, document generation, order processing, and integrated point-of-sale systems serving specific clients such as Cevora, Verso Food, and Standaard Boekhandel.

Product overview

Universitas is a digital printing company offering a full-service package that operates as an integrated platform of interconnected services. The core offering consists of six main service areas: Advies (consulting), Opmaak & Ontwerp (layout and design), Drukwerk (printing), Afwerking (finishing), Levering & Mailing (delivery and mailing), and Automatisatie (Print on Demand and automation software). The automation division develops custom software solutions including the Cevora course management system, Verso Food document module, and internal/external course service platforms. Products range from business cards and brochures to books and course materials, serving clients from SMEs to multinationals, with production capacity from single copies to large volumes.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Advies (Consulting) Consulting services offering digital print, IT, and software solutions for print work and information sharing, providing personalized guidance and support for each project. Targeted at organizations needing tailored print and workflow advice.
• Opmaak & Ontwerp (Layout & Design) Graphic design service creating contemporary, trend-sensitive layouts and designs for print materials, combining years of experience with innovative out-of-the-box thinking. Targeted at businesses needing professionally designed print collateral.
• Drukwerk (Digital Printing) Digital printing services supporting all formats from business cards to books, with a daily capacity of 3,200,000 prints and production runs from 1 copy to large volumes. Targeted at SMEs, publishers, training centers, educational institutions, and multinationals.
• Afwerking (Finishing) Post-print finishing services including bookbinding (over 100,000 books annually), cutting, perforating, folding, stapling, laminating, and custom packaging solutions. Targeted at publishers and businesses needing professionally finished print products.
• Levering & Mailing (Delivery & Mailing) Delivery and mailing services with own fleet and drivers, achieving 90% next-day delivery, plus eco-friendly last-mile delivery via Bubble Post electric bikes. Mailing services include packing, franking, and dispatching. Targeted at organizations across Belgium.
• POD & Automatisatie (Print on Demand & Workflow Automation) Custom software development for workflow automation and Print on Demand (POD) systems. Includes tailor-made solutions for order management, document generation with barcodes, inventory management, invoicing, and reporting. Targeted at organizations needing automated document and print workflows.

Quantifiable outcome

• 90% of orders delivered next day after ordering
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Bubble PostcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2015Partnership since 2015 for last-mile deliveries in Belgian city centers using electric cargo bikes. Bubble Post specializes in eco-friendly delivery solutions. This partnership enables Universitas to offer 100% ecological delivery for urban last-mile shipments as part of their same-day/next-day delivery promise.
• AP (Artesis Plantijn Hogeschool)minorOthersEducational institution partner displayed in partners section. Partnership involves course material services and printing for the college.
• UA (Universiteit Antwerpen)minorOthersUniversity of Antwerp partner. Universitas operates campus shops at UA campuses (Groenenborger and Drie Eiken) and provides printing services.
• CevoracoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIntensive collaboration where Universitas developed custom software for Cevora's course management, print ordering, document creation, and invoicing. This is a key reference partnership demonstrating Universitas's software development capabilities alongside printing services.
• Wolters KluwerminorOthersProfessional publisher partner displayed in partners section.
• Standaard BoekhandelcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor investment in IT and software solution for external course service, enabling online order processing with unique barcodes for efficient production, inventory, and invoicing management.
• Professor Hans Verboven (Universiteit Antwerpen)minorOthersIndependent monitoring of Universitas's sustainability policy by Professor Hans Verboven from University of Antwerp (Faculty of Business Economics). Ensures the company makes the right choices and maintains its trendsetter position.
• Verso FoodcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDeveloped custom module for Verso Food enabling online PDF document creation with preview for personalized posters, article and store management, automatic order generation, and invoicing reporting.
• FSC-certified Paper Supplier (Portugal)minorOthersEucalyptus plantation supplier from Portugal providing FSC-certified paper. Part of sustainability commitment ensuring paper comes from responsibly managed forests.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Printdeal: Belgian online print platform (part of DPG Media) offering offset and digital printing for business and individuals. Overlaps with Universitas on brochures, flyers, books, and course materials, with a similar self-service ordering model.
• Reclameland: Belgian/Dutch online print shop (part of Graphius group) offering digital and offset printing for SMEs with same-day/next-day delivery. Directly competes with Universitas on the small-volume, fast-turnaround transactional print business in the same Benelux market.
• Graphius: Belgian full-service printing group (Ghent) with book, magazine, and commercial print capabilities. Comparable to Universitas in offering integrated printing and finishing services, with greater scale and broader geographic reach within the Benelux market.
• Grafische Groep Matthys: Belgian full-service graphic group offering printing, finishing, mailing, and fulfillment for B2B customers. Directly comparable in integrated service model and Belgian mid-market customer base to Universitas.
• Print.com: Amsterdam-headquartered online POD platform offering digital printing from 1 copy to large volumes for SMEs, with strong Benelux market overlap. Directly competes with Universitas in business cards, brochures, and on-demand book printing via a self-serve e-commerce model.
• House of Printing: Belgian digital printing company offering full-service print production for SMEs, marketing agencies, and educational clients. Closely comparable in scale, customer mix, and Belgian market focus to Universitas.
• Stiessens Print: Belgian commercial printer (Heist-op-den-Berg) offering offset, digital, and large-format printing with finishing services. Comparable regional full-service print shop competing for similar SME and education-sector customers in Flanders.

Broad incumbents

• HP Indigo: Division of HP providing digital presses widely used by commercial POD printers including Universitas. Operates broadly in the printing industry as both equipment supplier and solutions provider, with deep overlap on the technology stack powering the digital print workflow.
• Canon Production Printing: Global incumbent in production printing equipment and solutions (formerly Océ, headquartered in Venlo, Netherlands). Operates in the same industry as a vendor/incumbent enabling POD workflows that Universitas deploys, with broad product portfolio beyond digital print.

Others

• Wolters Kluwer (printing services arm): Named customer of Universitas; Wolters Kluwer itself is a global professional information services company. Listed here as a customer-side peer: comparable in that they are a major publisher that could in-source printing or move to alternative print vendors, representing both a reference relationship and a customer-concentration risk for Universitas.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/universitasdigitalprinting

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries1 record

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 Universitas