Member Article

New printing startup rolls out at Washington Business Centre

A new printing company has started recruitment after becoming the latest tenant to set up shop in the new Washington Business Centre.

Easy Printing Ltd was started by Bill Duncan, who after 25 years’ experience in the industry, decided to take the plunge and set up his own business. He is now aiming to create two or three jobs in the next few months as the company focuses on providing printing services to small and medium sized businesses across the region.

It’s a major change for Bill, who handled the print management requirements for global giants such as Coca-Cola, Virgin, Disney and L’Oreal in his previous position.

He said: “The job I was doing was with a fantastic company down in South Wales, and the majority of the clients were in London, so I spent most of the week down in the South and the South West.

“I was doing 100,000 miles a year, and I sat down with my wife and decided it was time for a change.

“I set up Easy Printing Ltd for small businesses to provide a good level of service. I want to concentrate on giving Smes first-rate trusted service good service levels.”

Easy Printing Ltd runs its own design and repro studio from Washington Business Centre, producing everything from business cards and stationery to van liveries, graphics and signs. The company also produces internal wall graphics for homes, point of sales signs and one-off items such as branded balloons, pens, umbrellas and marketing material.

Bill is now setting up two ecommerce websites where customers can order letterheads and stationery online, as well as exhibition displays, roll up banners and marketing material. He’s also invested in a Hewlett Packard state of the art large format printer.

He is recruiting staff to grow the company in line with demand from customers. Its new offices mean there is sufficient space for Easy Printing Ltd to grow, and it also benefits from the shared facilities available for new and expanding enterprises at Washington Business Centre.

Bill said: “I arranged to see the Business Investment Team at Sunderland City Council and they suggested Washington Business Centre. I just fell in love with it when I walked in. The services and the opportunities are excellent and you can take clients there, and know they will be impressed.”

Bill is also happy to meet up with clients and explain how the print processes work and, more importantly, to assist in marketing their businesses from start-ups to established businesses. Requirements such as stationery, business cards, window graphics, van or car livery, mailings to clients or leaflets, to help them generate their own client base.

He said: “What I’m offering is an affordably priced business package tailored to suit their marketing needs and their investment. Many smaller companies don’t know where to turn, and I’m providing a single solution to help them succeed.”

The City Council-owned Washington Business Centre opened last year at Turbine Business Park next to the A1231. It has a mix of contemporary offices, workshops and hybrid units for more than 30 enterprises. It was part-funded with support of more than £3.3m from the European Regional Development Programme (ERDF).

Sunderland City Council chief executive, Dr Dave Smith, said: “Washington Business Centre is designed for ambitious and growing businesses such as Easy Printing Ltd.

“Bill has a huge amount of experience in the industry and we’re delighted to welcome him as a tenant. It’s great news that Easy Printing Ltd is already recruiting and we look forward to seeing the company grow and create further job opportunities.”

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