Nicola Penhallow is Publisher of Specialist Printing Worldwide, a trade publication focused on technical content for specialist printers. Karis Copp speaks to Nicola about what she’s learned in her year at the helm of SPW, how the publication serves its readership, and what she envisions for the future of the title. 

CAN YOU TALK A BIT ABOUT YOUR BACKGROUND, AND HOW YOU GOT INTO THE PRINT INDUSTRY?

Since completing my marketing degree and becoming an Associate member of the British Institute of Marketing, I have held challenging roles across a variety of industries including container shipping, media and accountancy. All the roles have been commercially focused with lots of travel involved which has led to a lot of rich and fulfilling experiences over the last 20 years as you can imagine!

Having chosen to take five years to be at home with my family, I was ready for a new challenge, and Specialist Printing Worldwide came along at just the right time. My Dad, Bryan Collings, developed SPW eleven years ago with Dave Fordham and between them built the great technical publication we see today.

The opportunity became available to take on ownership of SPW and I jumped at the chance! Combining my international commercial and marketing knowledge with my (I am told!) addictive enthusiasm placed me in a great position to take SPW on to the next level.

CAN YOU EXPLAIN A BIT ABOUT SPW, AND OFFER SOME INSIGHT INTO ITS OBJECTIVES?

SPW is THE technical reference source which users and purchasers of screen and wide format digital printing systems turn to for the latest information on techniques and products.  

 We produce four English versions each year and one Chinese version. They are distributed in hard copy at all major events and mailed to a targeted audience. Our hard copy and digital distribution now reaches over 100,000.  

Our objective is to connect companies with existing and potential customers across the globe, throughout the world of digital, pad and screen printing. From pre-press to production, we connect companies with those involved in identifying and purchasing machinery and consumables from suppliers worldwide.

SPW HAS A UNIQUE FOCUS ON TECHNICAL CONTENT – HOW DOES THAT BENEFIT ITS READERSHIP?        

Readers consistently give SPW feedback about the quality and detail that we provide. They appreciate that our content is not advertorial but quality, well written technical articles. Feedback tells us that the most popular articles are those that start with a few introductory paragraphs of general information about the industry and the process, presenting the challenges and opportunities, then leading into the solutions that new technology can offer.

The companies who produce these articles have told me that these articles drive a number of enquiries to the contact point at the end of the article as readers seek more information about how that company can help them, so commercially they are very much worth the time invested in producing them.

YOU HAVE BEEN IN YOUR ROLE FOR A YEAR, AND THE PUBLICATION COVERS A GLOBAL BEAT. HAS ANYTHING SURPRISED YOU ABOUT THE INDUSTRY?

I have now worked in printing for a total of one year, a drop in the ocean compared to the many people I have met around the world so far! It’s given me a fresh perspective on the industry as I have arrived as a complete newcomer.

Most importantly, I have been astonished by the strong sense of belonging across the industry. I have attended over 15 trade events and at every one I have sensed a great feeling of family within the industry; more so than any other I have worked in.

Personally, I have been overwhelmed by people willing to share their insight and knowledge and ideas for all the exciting projects we have planned for the future of SPW. On top of this my visits to companies in Switzerland, Italy and the UK gave me the opportunity to really get to understand many printing processes as people invited me to see their production facilities.

 WHAT HAVE YOU FOUND MOST INTERESTING ABOUT THE INDUSTRY?

So many things are printed! I had no idea of the vast array of everyday items that print is involved in and the complexities of the process. From safe food packaging to car interiors – the industry is huge! It touches everything we do which I find very exciting. For example, witnessing the 3D printing in the US last year regarding medical parts was incredible, and the challenges of continuously researching and developing products which comply with various laws surrounding chemical use combined with health and safety, not to mention sustainability, create a complex and ever-changing environment in which to work. I love it!

WHAT TRENDS ARE OF MOST INTEREST TO YOU IN PRINT AT THE MOMENT?

Right now we are all focused upon the troubled times we are living through. We each have our own special challenges with our families, our friends and our businesses. Here at Specialist Printing Worldwide we are working hard to continue to reach all our readers through our online and printed editions and will continue to do so. Whilst we are fortunate our printer is still operating, we are very conscious that not all businesses are so fortunate and are facing massive disruption to their normal operations.

In terms of SPW you will notice that Issue 2 has two changes. Most importantly we have removed the 'Digital, Screen and Pad Technology' from the title of the magazine as our readership now fully understand what specialist printing is and secondly we have now renamed the key section 'Technology' to encompass all industrial printing sectors. I am starting to receive technical articles which encompass all areas of printing such as 3D and industrial and we want to make sure these are represented as much as other areas, so we felt this was a positive move in that direction.

YOU ATTEND A NUMBER OF INTERNATIONAL EVENTS IN YOUR ROLE – OBVIOUSLY AT THIS UNUSUAL TIME, MANY OF THESE HAVE BEEN CANCELLED OR POSTPONED. DO YOU THINK THIS PANDEMIC WILL HAVE ANY LONG-LASTING CHANGES ON TRADE EVENTS?

I always remain positive! I think firstly we have all realised how important face to face contact is in building and maintaining long term valuable relationships. Whilst we are very fortunate to be able to video conference people nothing replaces the experience of seeing each other for real, even if we do have to elbow or ankle bump each other in future! Likewise, being able to demonstrate machinery and processes is an invaluable part of the process.

I don’t have a crystal ball, however I truly believe that when it is safe to do so, events will be back in force with people raring to get out there and start making up for lost time.

In my opinion I also think that it has given us time to stop and reflect on the amount of events that are held and that perhaps consolidating some of these would give people less hectic schedules with more value attached to each event.

WHERE DO YOU SEE YOURSELF, AND SPW, IN THE FUTURE? 

SPW is raring to go on several projects which hinge around the development of our new website. Due to the current circumstances this is temporarily on hold, although 2021 promises to be a great year for pushing forward with this, so watch this space!

SPW is renown throughout the industry for its excellent technical content and this is the foundation upon which we will build.

Developing a great website is just one part of how we plan to utilise digital media alongside our printed publication to consistently help our partners reach their audience. My perfect vision is for SPW to grow hand in hand with the industry by continually striving to ensure we reach and enrich our audience.

In terms of myself, I love this industry and feel privileged to have the opportunity to be a part of it. As such I am here for the long term and really excited about what the future holds for SPW, and indeed all of us in this industry.