Citiprint offers same-day turnaround as its USP
London’s Disruptor
Describing itself as ‘London’s disruptor’, Citiprint specialises in same-day turnaround of wide-format, direct-to-board, and vinyl/graphics installation. Founded in 2016 by Jacob Kent-Ledger, the company doesn’t do things by halves with one example being when it made a name for itself with a record installation on a 50m-tall wind turbine for energy provider Octopus.
Working with Industrial Abseiling, Citiprint produced a 20m-long vinyl logo for a 50m-tall wind turbine
Aside from not being afraid to say yes to the big jobs, Citiprint has gained a reputation for delivering on its same-day turnaround promise and became a 24/7 business back in 2018 to provide its customers with a reliable service at any hour of the day. This involves delivering same-day to anywhere within the M25 but quite often further afield with the business having delivered to Scotland, Berlin, Nice, and even Sri Lanka (with a bit of help from DHL).
Citiprint’s clients are mainly large brands and organisations which have been let down or simply left things too late to go elsewhere. “We really are often their last resort so it’s always rewarding to pull it off and have their undivided love and gratitude as a result,” Kent-Ledger says.
The idea for the company itself came about when Kent-Ledger was running a London design agency and noticed a lot of clients were asking for the designs the company produced. He realised that rather than referring them elsewhere, he could probably handle it himself.
“I shared an office at the time with a guy who sent advert proofs into London on a motorbike same day before tight newspaper deadlines and I realised the same could probably happen with print and signs,” Kent-Ledger explains.
Jacob Kent-Kedger founded Citiprint in 2016
“I launched it and delivered with my own car for a while, though a large part of production was outsourced. We bought our first printer around six months later, and another, and another; and before we knew it, we were filling up artic lorries with our kit just to move to these new premises!”
We bought our first printer around six months later, and another, and another; and before we knew it, we were filling up artic lorries with our kit just to move to these new premises”
According to Kent-Ledger, no one else was doing what he was doing at the time and no one has replicated it since, successfully or otherwise. “It’s quite a feat when you think most of the industry still works in 4-7 working days and we work in 2-4 working hours,” he adds.
Selling Bought Back Time
Seven years on and as the business continues to go from strength to strength, Kent-Ledger’s day-to-day role involves overseeing production and working with clients on planning installs and large-scale jobs (which he calls ‘the fun ones!’); and when he’s not proofing jobs or trimming vinyl, he’s busy with classic cars for weddings and events.
Whilst Kent-Ledger has done a lot himself from day one, he has a strong tight-knit team around him who enable the company to pull off the mind-boggling turnarounds that they do. “My daily involvement does cover delivering where needed and fitting because I enjoy it.
“I don’t want to be stuck to a screen all day but equally want to be the one to calm stressed customers and help guide them to the right solution when their time really matters. I have always seen us as selling bought back time really more so than the product itself.”
Kent-Ledger says his dad has always been instrumental in the business, as has his fiancé who he describes as a “strong sounding board for all the big decisions”. Kent-Ledger’s brother joined the business to manage the social media and online presence, as well as develop his production skills. Fitter Dean, has also been on the team for the past three years and Kent-Ledger describes him as invaluable and “a real problem solver who totally reflects the calm nature needed to get things turned around right first time”.
One example of this is a car park multistorey that Citiprint had to fully wrap in two hours during Covid-19, something Kent-Ledger describes as “the most insane job we’ve ever done timewise” but one that they pulled off with ease as a team.
Most recently, Citiprint has taken on a full-time new production colleague and delivery driver due to ever-increasing demand. Having been situated on the border with Essex for the past five years, 2023 has seen Citiprint move into new modern premises in Hendon, North London comprising of 2,000sq ft. “The space is quite quickly filling up, but it’s still a huge upgrade for us and a clean and quiet relaxing estate. I can see Wembley Stadium from my new office!”
A Stab in the Dark
With the move to new premises signalling the company’s growth, Kent-Ledger reflects back on other ways the company has evolved since its inception. “It really was a stab in the dark promising same-day turnaround from day one, and finding suppliers who could help get that off the ground, then dealing with the logistics side. Van leasing, insurance, travel, time, it does soon all add up but it’s now like walking a slightly unruly dog.
“There are days it will pull you on the lead, but others it will walk by your side and cuddle up. It’s a beautifully rewarding business even with the stress, tears, and mistakes which inevitably happen.” A significant setback happened in 2019 when Kent-Ledger lost all the company’s kit and effectively the business due to getting with the wrong business partner.
This led to a huge challenge in rebuilding everything solo with Kent-Ledger having to go back to being a business run from a laptop with no assets at all.
Despite this, he notes that whilst Covid-19 provided a real overnight drop in work with the company switching to utilising its NHS Supplier contacts and delivering over £500,000 of PPE, ultimately the biggest challenge for Citiprint has been finding what’s next.
“I’ve never seen us as having competitors because firstly, there aren’t any on our wavelength, and secondly, because my dad once said to only focus on what you’re doing, instead of others. That stuck and it means I may be so buried in Citiprint that I don’t always see what’s going on around us but it ultimately means it has my full attention all of the time.
Citiprint has never seen itself as having competitors and instead focuses only on what it's doing
“Our previous unit was a mammoth leap both in size and expenditure-wise but within a year it had a flatbed and huge workbench in and became cramped. I think you’ve just got to at least try to overcome any challenge and find a way at any cost.”
In turn, the related challenge for this was finding somewhere that ticked the location, rent, and suitability criteria with rent having more than doubled since Citiprint’s last move. “I really feel for anyone looking to get into this industry now in search of premises, it will be tough,” Kent-Ledger adds.
Support from the Industry
With that said, Kent-Ledger also notes the importance of the industry as a whole continuing to help each other. He says it became apparent from the get-go that there is a huge disparity between those sole traders at home, in sheds, or in small lockups, to the industry giants with hundreds of staff, multimillion-pound contracts, and machines.
“For us in the middle, I think there needs to be a lot more support and handing down of advice but looking up for advice too. We can all benefit in this reciprocal industry where suppliers become customers and vice-versa. It’s an industry that has afforded me some great lifelong friends no matter what their stance is, be it growing, or simply doing it as a hobby.
“But for us SMEs, we need that investment, time, and knowledge from suppliers, manufacturers, and ultimately publications (thank you for the opportunity), to move forward. I do sometimes feel like it took a lot of years for people to take me seriously, just due to age.”
Kent-Ledger adds: “I know there are a lot of people out there looking to get into this market or maybe recently have, and suppliers need to remember we are all human and to just help each other grow.”
The Powerhouses of Citiprint
In terms of the powerhouses producing the work required for quick turnarounds without an impact on quality, Kent-Ledger has a range of machines in operation. One of the company’s first wide-format printers was a Mutoh 1604 which needed to be lifted out of an empty school swimming pool (the seller’s print room), complete with a shark mural on the wall.
However, today, the company operates two Epson 60600’s which Kent-Ledger says he “absolutely loves”. “My team is always joking that it’s only because of the LEDs to light up the media when printing, but they’re a fantastic bit of kit and so quick which is exactly what we need.”
The company also has swissQprint’s second-ever manufactured machine – a testament to the manufacturer’s long-lasting quality.
Kent-Ledger says whilst he has joked with swissQprint to buy it back and have it as a museum piece, it is still impressive on quality, and with an upcoming head upgrade. This should enable Citiprint to print a lot faster in that department which is crucial for same-day production.
“On the production side, I bought a flatbed laminator/applicator around the same time and it’s been invaluable. A 5m workbench is also super handy and allows us to work on several jobs at once which is a godsend,” he explains.
On the software front, Citiprint has a great relationship with PrintFactory for its flatbed work with the team able to log in anywhere and see how jobs are progressing, how efficient the company is with wastage, and most importantly the layout and nesting which allows the company to significantly reduce costs and maximise output.
Digital Factory keeps the Epsons running and Citiprint switched to ShopVOX mid-2022 for job management which Kent-Ledger says has been “fantastic”. “For the first time, I can see what it actually costs to produce a job accurately and customers are finding quicker quotes even more useful,” he says. “I was on a road trip recently and was able to send proofs, invoice, and set up delivery for a job on a laptop in a few minutes with it without having to be at a desk.”
Since 2016, Citiprint has lots to be proud of having been responsible for a huge amount of impressive work including graphics for the coverage of the Queen’s funeral. For Kent-Ledger, the best thing about the industry is that the work is so visual meaning it can be hard to miss your projects around London and further afield – including in blockbuster and Netflix films!
With all this in mind, something Kent-Ledger can be absolutely sure of when looking back at his business’ story, is that he has given it everything he has and he says he is “nowhere near finished”.
Recently, the company upgraded its vehicle fleet which Kent-Ledger says is something he could have only ever dreamed of a few years ago. “Being a small company it really warms your heart when you reach a key milestone – you might not even realise how big a deal it is until years later or until it’s repeated back to you,” he explains. “It’s that kind of pride in your job that matters and every single job matters.”
Citiprint recently upgraded its company fleet
Also key to the business’ success has been bringing everything important in-house including the fleet of delivery vans in order to maintain a high level of service and control over delivery. “When you have everything integrated (big corporate word for me), you cannot go wrong and if you do, you can easily see how to rectify or overcome it.
“Being able to print, deliver, and install ourselves no matter what day, hour, location, is absolutely the key to our success. We’ve always been disruptors and I have no problem smashing the status quo of how things have always been done in the industry.”
Looking forward and Kent-Ledger says there are exciting things to come from Citiprint with the most exciting thing of all being not knowing what the next job will be or who will be calling next. “In the past few months, we became an official supplier to Formula 1 which is epic and we’re looking forward to more of that work. I’m sure there will be more kit added throughout the year and growth as a company, but ultimately personal development too. I should probably spend some of those 24 hours planning my wedding finally too!”
Statistics
- Founded – 2016
- Size of site – 2,000sq ft
- 50m – height of wind turbine installation
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