Solway Print

What Solway Print does

Solway Print Limited is a private printing company founded in 1972 and headquartered at Catherinefield Industrial Estate in Dumfries, Scotland. The firm operates a single-site production facility with an 11–50 employee team offering integrated design, printing, finishing, and die-cut services. Core production capability combines litho (offset) printing on a GTO 4-colour press for larger runs with digital printing on a Xerox Versant press for short-run jobs with under-24-hour turnaround. Specialist finishing capability — including letterpress on a Heidelberg windmill 10x15 platen, in-house foiling, die cutting, embossing/debossing, large-format output on an Epson Pro 7800, and binding operations — is unusual in the UK market and forms a meaningful share of the value proposition.

The commercial model is one-time, quote-based sales of bespoke printed goods. Pricing is not publicly disclosed; every project is scoped through direct customer contact (phone, email, in-person workshop meetings) followed by a structured design/proof/approval workflow and in-house production. Distribution is direct, with local collection from the Dumfries workshop or courier delivery UK-wide and internationally. Customer mix is fragmented across Dumfries & Galloway SMBs, third-sector and charity organisations, schools, sports clubs, and individual wedding clients, with named logos including FoodTrain, Halo Trust, Queen of the South FC, Glenalmond College, and Atlantic Salmon Trust.

Design services (branding, logos, stationery, brochures, websites, social media assets) are offered either standalone or bundled with print jobs, allowing Solway Print to position as a full-service design-and-print provider rather than a commodity print shop. A dedicated wedding stationery division operates bespoke projects with an assigned designer. There are no disclosed funding rounds, external investors, or subsidiaries; the company is owner-operated under Managing Director Amanda Copland, with the founder Mac Creedon's family legacy still embedded in the workforce and brand narrative.

Name

Solway Print

Legal name

Solway Print Limited

Website

https://solwayprint.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1972

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Commercial Printing Services

NAICS

Commercial Printing (except Screen and Books) (323111), Printing (32311)

SIC

Commercial Printing (2750)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYIMAMAHAH

Printing & Business Forms (continuous forms, checks, tickets)

Industrials, Manufacturing & Construction/Paper & Forest Products/Converted Paper Products (Corrugated, Bags, Labels, Stationery)

SECONDARYMPAJALAF

Finishing & Post-Press Services (Cutting, Folding, Collating, Laminating, Foil, Emboss)

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Publishing (Books, News, Magazines)/Print Production Services (Printing, Binding, Prepress)

SECONDARYIMAMAHAJ

Paper Converting Services (slitting, sheeting, coating, laminating, rewinding)

Industrials, Manufacturing & Construction/Paper & Forest Products/Converted Paper Products (Corrugated, Bags, Labels, Stationery)

Keywords

• Commercial printing services
• Litho printing
• Digital printing
• Wedding stationery
• Graphic design services

Headquarters

HQ city

Dumfries

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Print Products (Litho & Digital): One-time product sales of printed materials including business cards, letterheads, brochures, catalogues, leaflets, flyers, NCR books/pads, programmes, magazines, calendars, and cards. Revenue is generated per job with no recurring component.
2. Specialist Print Finishing: Value-added finishing services including foiling, letterpress, die cutting, embossing/debossing, binding (book, spiral, glue, stitch), folding, and hole punching. These are typically add-on services to print jobs.
3. Design Services: Graphic design services for branding, logos, stationery, brochures, websites, social media posts, and wedding stationery. Can be standalone or bundled with print services.
4. Wedding Stationery: Specialist wedding printing services including bespoke service, invitations, on-the-day items (order of service, table plans, place cards, menus), letterpress, and foiling. Premium positioning with dedicated designer assigned per project.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Solway Print provides commercial and personal printed materials combining litho and digital printing, specialist techniques such as letterpress, foiling, die cutting and large format, in-house finishing and binding, and a full suite of graphic design services. The offering extends to a dedicated wedding stationery service covering bespoke design, invitations, on-the-day items, letterpress and foiling for couples. All work is produced in the Dumfries workshop from design concept through to courier delivery.

Product overview

Solway Print is a traditional and digital printing services provider based in Dumfries & Galloway, operating since 1972. The offering is organized as a unified service portfolio combining core printing production capabilities (Litho Printing, Digital Printing using Xerox Versant, Finishing & Binding) with specialist print techniques (Letterpress, Foiling, Die Cutting, Large Format, Embossing/Debossing), and complementary design services (Branding, Logo Design, Stationery, Brochure Design, Website Design, Social Media Design). A dedicated wedding stationery division offers bespoke services including invitations, on-the-day items, letterpress, and foiling, all coordinated by assigned designers. The portfolio integrates printing production with design services to deliver complete customer solutions from concept through finished product.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Litho Printing Four-colour lithographic (offset) printing on a GTO 4 Colour Litho Press, suited to large print runs of stationery, NCR books, brochures, catalogues, leaflets, guides, manuals, calendars and cards at cost-effective pricing.
• Digital Printing Digital printing on a Xerox Versant machine with 24-hour or less turnaround for short runs, using a Densitometer to maintain colour accuracy and quality.
• Letterpress Printing Traditional letterpress printing using a Heidelberg windmill 10x15 platen press that depresses letters into thick paper for tactile typography, including embossing and debossing effects (such as blind emboss without ink). One of few printers in the nation offering this technique.
• Foiling In-house application of metallic, gloss and coloured foils to printed materials for stationery, wedding invitations and business cards, with expert advice on foil selection.
• Die Cutting Custom die cutting service using Solway Print's range of existing dies or bespoke-designed dies to create custom shapes for business cards, orders of service and other printed items.
• Large Format Printing Large format printing of A2-A1 posters, roll-up banners, exhibition banners, signage and PVC banners up to 5x2.5 metres, produced on an Epson Pro 7800.
• Finishing & Binding Post-print finishing services including book binding, spiral binding, glueing, stitching, hole punching, folding and industrial guillotine cutting, plus hand-finishing for bespoke requests.
• Branding Services Application of logos to promotional and branded items including bags, clothing, hi-viz vests, pens, pads, keyrings and lanyards, while maintaining brand guideline consistency.
• Logo Design Logo creation services for new logos, rebrands, logo refreshes and sub-brand logo design that communicate company identity, values and quality.
• Stationery Design Professional stationery design applying logos to business cards, letterheads, membership cards, menus and envelopes, with specialist finishes such as foiling and litho watermarking.
• Brochure Design Brochure design from concept to finished product in landscape, portrait or square formats, with options for literature flaps, die cuts, foiling and emboss finishing.
• Website Design Website design using the WordPress platform to build attractive, functional and search engine-friendly websites with easy content management.
• Social Media Design Social media content design, particularly Facebook posts designed to match print jobs with supporting text and coordinated marketing campaigns.
• Wedding Stationery - Invitations Wedding invitation design and printing following client themes, colours and patterns, with specialist printing techniques such as letterpress and foiling for extra visual impact.
• Wedding Stationery - On The Day Items Wedding day printed items including orders of service, large format table plans, place cards and menus produced in coordinating colours and themes.
• Bespoke Wedding Service Dedicated graphic designer assigned to each wedding project from start to finish, with bespoke hand-finishing including ribbons and diamante, providing full-service design and delivery.

Quantifiable outcome

• 24-hour or less turnaround available for digital printing jobs

Named customers10 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

Feature5 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• GDPR-Compliant Sub-Contracted ProcessorsminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerSolway Print may sub-contract the processing of personal data to carefully selected partners that have been dealt with for a number of years. These partners have a long established history of processing this information, have been audited on a regular basis and are GDPR compliant. Legal contracts with each of these suppliers comply with GDPR legislation.

Scale indicators2 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• Papier: UK online stationery brand offering personalized cards, wedding invitations, and bespoke stationery. Directly comparable in wedding stationery and premium paper goods, though operating digitally at higher scale with a design-led brand.

Direct peers

• Printed.com: UK-based online printing service offering commercial print products with self-serve ordering. Comparable in product range (cards, stationery, posters) and SMB target market, differentiated primarily by digital-first sales motion.
• Pureprint Group: UK commercial printer offering litho, digital, large format, and finishing services. Comparable in production technology stack, environmental certifications, and broad commercial customer base.
• Solopress: UK online commercial printer offering litho, digital, and finishing services. Comparable core print capabilities and target SMB market, though operating primarily through an e-commerce model versus Solway Print's quote-based approach.
• Printing.com: UK-based print franchise network offering commercial printing, design, and marketing services to SMBs. Directly comparable in customer base, full-service design-to-print model, and broad service portfolio including litho and digital.
• Instantprint: UK-based online commercial printer offering short-run digital and litho printing with fast turnaround. Directly comparable product offering (business cards, brochures, flyers) though competing via e-commerce versus Solway Print's local/quote model.
• Bishops Printers: UK commercial printing company offering litho, digital, and finishing services with national reach. Similar in service breadth, customer base (agencies, brands, SMBs), and integrated print production capabilities.

Broad incumbents

• MOO: Global online printing company specializing in premium business cards, marketing materials, and stationery. Overlaps with Solway Print's premium stationery and design-conscious customer base, differentiated by scale and digital-first model.
• Cimpress: Global parent of Vistaprint and multiple online print brands, serving SMBs worldwide. Offers overlapping capabilities (business cards, marketing materials, signage) at massive scale, representing the structural digital competitive threat to regional printers.
• Card Factory: UK high street retailer of greeting cards, stationery, and gift products with in-house design and production. Adjacent competitor in greeting cards and stationery, though operating via mass-market retail rather than bespoke print services.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/solwayprint
• Facebookfacebook.com/SolwayPrint
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/solway-offset

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Solway Print