Whites

What Whites does

Whites (legal entity WHW Print Limited) is a family-owned commercial printing business based in Ludworth, County Durham, in the North East of England. Founded in 1926 by William Henry White during the General Strike and now in its third generation of family involvement, the company operates from a single production facility on Front Street in Ludworth, housing an in-house artwork studio, lithographic and digital printing presses, and an extensive finishing department. It is a privately held limited company with 58 employees and no external funding history.

The company delivers an integrated design-print-finish service under one roof. Production spans offset lithography (a five-colour press for longer runs and spot/speciality inks), digital printing (with white, silver, gold, clear, and fluorescent inks plus variable data capability), and letterpress for tactile premium work. Finishing covers trimming, creasing, folding, collation, lamination, die-cutting, perforation, drilling, gluing, multiple binding formats (perfect, saddle stitch, comb/spiral/wire-o), foiling, spot UV, varnish, and embossing/debossing, with significant 2023 investment in Horizon finishing systems. The product mix ranges from business cards, books, brochures, NCR forms, stationery, packaging, and promotional items to large-format signage and personalised occasion print.

Whites makes money through bespoke, quote-based print production contracts (pay-as-you-go, unit pricing with no published tiers). Its go-to-market is direct sales-led via phone, email, website enquiries, and on-premises visits, with a website account system supporting repeat orders and word-of-mouth referrals from long-tenured customers as the primary demand driver. Target segments are UK-based and include SMEs, education, local government and public sector, building and construction corporates, hospitality, and personal-occasion customers across the North East and nationwide.

Name

Whites

Legal name

WHW Print Limited

Website

https://whitesprint.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1926

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Commercial Printing

NAICS

Printing (32311), Commercial Printing (except Screen and Books) (323111), Stationery Product Manufacturing (32223), Folding Paperboard Box Manufacturing (322212), Support Activities for Printing (32312)

SIC

Commercial Printing (2750), Book Printing (2732), Greeting Cards (2771)

akta.pro primary industry

Stationery & Office Paper Products (notebooks, pads, forms) (IMAMAHAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Folding Carton & Paperboard Packaging Printing (IMALAKAH), Prepress & Composition Services (Typesetting, Layout, Color Management, Proofing) (MPAJALAA)

Keywords

• Commercial printing services
• Lithographic printing
• Digital printing
• Print finishing services
• Graphic design services

Headquarters

HQ city

Durham

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Print Production Services: Core revenue from lithographic and digital printing services. Litho printing for larger quantities and specialty inks; digital printing for shorter runs with personalisation capability. Production capacity ranges from 1 to over 100,000+ units.
2. Design Services: In-house artwork studio providing design services including artwork origination, proofing, file preflighting, amendments, and proof reading. Designers use industry standard software to create print, digital, and large format designs.
3. Finishing Services: Post-print finishing services including trimming, cutting, creasing, folding, collation, lamination, encapsulation, die-cutting, kiss-cutting, perforation, numbering, drilling, punching, gluing, padding, binding (perfect binding, saddle stitching, comb/spiral/wire-o), stitching, foiling, spot UV, varnish, and embossing/debossing.
4. Product Sales: Sale of printed products including business cards, lanyards, books, brochures, booklets, catalogues, diaries, flyers, leaflets, menus, packaging, stationery, promotional items (mugs, pens, calendars), and occasion print (wedding invitations, Christmas cards).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Whites is a commercial printing company producing physical printed products on demand for businesses and organisations across the UK. It offers in-house artwork design, lithographic, digital and letterpress printing, and a full range of post-press finishing, producing items such as business cards, books, brochures, NCR forms, large format signage, leaflets, wedding and occasion stationery, packaging, and general business stationery. Production runs range from single units to over 100,000 copies.

Product overview

Whites is a litho and digital printing company offering three core services: Design, Print, and Finishing. The Design service provides in-house artwork creation using industry standard software. Print services encompass lithographic (5-colour offset), digital (with special enhancements like white, silver, gold, fluorescent inks), letterpress, and thermography methods. Finishing services include trimming, binding (perfect, saddle stitch, comb/spiral/wire-o), foiling, spot UV, embossing/debossing, and other post-print processes. The company produces a wide range of printed products including business cards, books/brochures, NCR forms, large format signage, leaflets, occasion cards, wedding stationery, packaging, and general stationery. All services are provided in-house from their County Durham facility.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Design Services
• Print Services
• Finishing Services
• Business Cards
• Books and Brochures
• NCR Products
• Large Format and Signage
• Leaflets and Flyers
• Occasion Print
• Wedding Stationery
• Hospitality Print
• Packaging
• Stationery and Promotional Print

Named customers8 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• BDR SystemscoreTechnology or IntegrationEquipment supplier and installer of Horizon print finishing equipment. Supplied and installed the Horizon SPF-200a booklet making system with Vac-1000 collator, replacing the previous Horizon SPF-20a FC20a booklet maker. BDR Systems acts as the Horizon distributor/support contact for the company.
• Horizon (BDR Systems)coreTechnology or IntegrationManufacturer of print finishing equipment. The company has invested in multiple Horizon systems including BQ-270V Perfect Binder, CRF-362 Crease-Fold, HT-30C Three-Edge Trimmer, and SPF-200a booklet maker with Vac-1000 collator. These represent significant capital investments in production capabilities.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Bishops Printers: Bishops is a long-established UK commercial printer offering lithographic and digital printing with finishing services across business stationery, brochures, packaging, and books. Directly comparable to Whites in service breadth, customer type, and UK mid-market positioning.
• Pureprint Group: Pureprint Group is a UK commercial printing group with multiple sites offering lithographic, digital, and large-format printing alongside finishing and design. Comparable to Whites in service mix but with broader geographic reach.
• Henry Ling: Henry Ling is a Dorset-based UK commercial printer with a similar heritage profile to Whites, offering lithographic and digital print, finishing, and design services to SMEs, public sector, and consumer occasion segments. Comparable scale and full-service offering.
• The Hamptons Group: Hamptons Group is a UK commercial printing company offering integrated print, design, and finishing services for marketing collateral, business stationery, and packaging. Direct competitor in the UK mid-market commercial print space.

Broad incumbents

• Williams Lea Tag: Williams Lea Tag is a global marketing and print services provider serving large enterprise clients with brand activation, print management, and document production. A broad incumbent that competes for the same enterprise print spend Whites targets at smaller scale.
• Walstead Group: Walstead is a large European web offset and sheetfed printing group with magazine, catalogue, and commercial print capabilities. A much larger incumbent operating broadly in commercial printing with overlap on catalogue, brochure, and magazine work Whites produces.

Emerging players

• MOO: MOO is a UK-origin online premium print brand focused on business cards, marketing materials, and bespoke print products. Overlaps with Whites on business cards and stationery but sells primarily through digital channels with no finishing depth.
• Instantprint: Instantprint is a UK-based digital-first commercial printer specializing in short-run, online-ordered print products. While it competes with Whites on commodity commercial print jobs, it lacks Whites' bespoke design, letterpress, and premium finishing capabilities.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/whites

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 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 Whites