History

The Early Days
Bishops Printers was established in 1985 and started life as a modest 
stationery and copy shop on Hayling Island, Hampshire.  From 
relatively humble beginnings, business grew to the stage where a 
new premises was required to cope with the increased demand 
and a move to Goldsmith Avenue, Fratton was completed in 1990. 

The new factory had been the old Fyffes banana warehouse in 
Portsmouth, and as a famous local landmark Bishops chose to 
recognise the history of the site in their address.  This move enabled 
the company to continue their early years of expansion and invest 
in their first four colour press in 1992.  

At that time, Bishops revolutionised the local print market with a 
flexible approach to getting jobs done, facilitated by 24 hour shifts, 
seven days a week.

In 1993, as the business developed, a first floor was constructed to 
accommodate significant investments into digital repro, and two 
years later the adjoining premises were acquired to provide an extra 
8000 sq ft of manufacturing space.

The Need to Expand
Soon, a mezzanine floor was required to comfortably house the 
growing number of Sales, Admin and Customer Service staff, while 
allowing digital repro to continue to grow with further investments 
in computer-to-plate and Power Mac technology. 

At the same period in 1997, a new five colour press arrived to help 
cope with the increasing demands on capacity, with which the 
single four colour machine could never have managed.  However, 
within a year, the old four colour press was deemed to be due 
replacement, and accordingly a new five colour with coating unit 
arrived at the considerable outlay of £750,000.

The remaining unit in the development was acquired in January 1999 
and the workforce exceeded 100 staff for the first time.  Turnover 
had risen to an impressive £6million.

A major two-year shirt sponsorship deal with Portsmouth FC was 
unveiled in 2000 and Bishops Printers was fast becoming a 
recognizable brand, attracting significant business from all over the 
south of England. 

Greater interest and a higher quantity of orders meant that Bishops 
needed to increase its workforce and purchase new, state-of-the-art 
print equipment – quite simply a larger, more appropriate site was 
now a necessity. 
 

The Move to Farlington
Autumn 2002 saw the acquisition and development of the current 
premises in Fitzherbert Road, Farlington. The new building has 
more than twice the space of the previous site, allowing for 
considerable future growth.  

A Heidelberg 10 colour press was installed during October and this 
was linked directly to the prepress network, in which twin Agfa 
Palladio computer-to-plate units were installed, expanding our 
output capacity four-fold.  

A Molex category 6 network, managed by Compaq servers runs all 
business systems, ensuring a fast and efficient data flow and keeping 
our presses running.

Having the capacity and flexibility to take on both high volume 
and time-sensitive print jobs, Bishops was now able to secure a 
number of high-profile deals including the Chelsea FC matchday 
programme contract.  A landmark was reached in 2006 when 
turnover exceeded £10million for the first time.

There was a period of expansion during both 2007 and 2008 as the 
company sought to maximize use of the Farlington site.  Success 
followed with the news that both Crystal Palace and Fulham had 
chosen to secure Bishops’ services for their programmes along 
with Chelsea re-signing a two-year contract.

Between May-June 2009, an additional three high-profile football 
programme contracts were secured (Arsenal, Portsmouth and 
Charlton) with a combined value of £1m.  Three major new pieces 
of Finishing equipment were purchased to cope with the increased 
demand for Bishops' services at a cost of over £500k.  These 
included a Heidelberg stitcher (the third) and folder (the sixth) 
along with a new guillotine to replace one of the four existing 
machines.  

A second Finishing department (right) has been established in the 
former paper warehouse and an order for two additional
Heidelberg 10-colour perfectors (an XL series unit) has been placed.

Following several months' research, preparation and planning, 
Bishops became both FSC and PEFC Certified in the summer of 
2009 - significant landmarks in the company's progression. This  
was followed by ISO 9001 Certification early in 2010, 
demonstrating our commitment to quality and efficiency.

With 145 staff and turnover reaching £13m, Bishops Printers 
continues to expand with a policy of growth through investment 
and a highly competitive pricing structure. 

With our 2009-10 financial year showing solid sales figures in 
spite of the economic slowdown, the future is bright for both 
Bishops and its customers.