When you place a print order with B&B Press, it moves through five clear stages: enquiry and advice, artwork and proofing, printing, finishing and quality control, then delivery or collection. Behind each stage are people who have done this for years, and kit chosen to get your job right first time. This is what actually happens between your enquiry and the finished print arriving, and why being local means you can come and watch your job being printed.
If you are choosing who to trust with your print, it helps to see how the work is really done. Here is the journey of a job through the factory in Parkgate, Rotherham, and the care that goes into each step.
Factory walkthrough video to be embedded here.
What happens after you place a print order?
After you place an order, your job moves through enquiry, artwork and proofing, printing, finishing and quality control, and finally delivery or collection, with a person responsible at every step. It is a managed process, not a machine you post a file into, which is what keeps quality consistent and problems caught early.
The rest of this article walks through each stage in order, so you can see who does what, and where your input matters most.
Step 1: enquiry and advice
It starts with a conversation, not just a quote, because the right advice at the beginning saves cost and problems later. When you make an enquiry, the team asks about the job, the deadline, the audience and the result you want, then advises on the best way to produce it.
This is where experience earns its place. You might come in asking for one thing and leave with a better option: a different stock, digital instead of litho for a short run, or a format that costs less or prints better. Because B&B Press is a family run printer established in 1958, with the full range of print under one roof, the advice is not steered by what one machine can do, it is steered by what suits your job.
Step 2: artwork, proofing and colour
Next your artwork is checked and proofed, so colour and detail are confirmed before anything runs at full volume. This is the stage that prevents the most common print disappointment: a finished job that does not match what you expected on screen.
The studio checks your files are print ready, sets up colour correctly, and can provide a proof so you see how the job will actually look. This matters most for brand colours and for shades that shift between screen and print, and it is where the team flags anything that needs attention. Getting colour signed off here, on the right stock, is what protects your brand and avoids a costly reprint. It is also more sustainable, because a job that is right first time wastes nothing.
Step 3: on the press (litho, digital, display)
Once approved, your job goes to the press best suited to it: litho, digital, or display and large format. Choosing the right press is part of the craft, because each does a different job well.
- Litho for larger runs and consistent, high-quality colour, on the Heidelberg Speedmaster CX 75, which runs up to 15,000 sheets per hour.
- Digital for short runs, personalisation and fast turnaround, with no plates or lengthy setup.
- Display and large format on the Colorado M-Series (UVgel), for posters, banners and point of sale.
B&B Press also installed the first LED UV press in the UK in 2014, technology that uses roughly 20% less ink and around 95% less power than conventional curing, and cuts drying energy sharply per sheet. Because the factory is local, in Parkgate, Rotherham, you are welcome to come and watch your job being printed. You can read more about the kit on Our Technology, and about the methods on litho and digital.
Step 4: finishing and quality control
After printing, the job is finished and checked, because how it is cut, folded, bound and coated is as important as how it is printed. Finishing is where a flat printed sheet becomes the brochure, pack or display you actually ordered.
Finishing can include cutting, folding, binding, laminating and specialist coatings, chosen to suit the product and to keep it recyclable where that matters. Throughout, quality control checks the work against the approved proof, so colour, register and finish are right before anything leaves. This checking is why fewer jobs come back for reprint, which is better for your deadline, your budget and the environment, backed by ISO 9001 for quality and ISO 14001 for environmental management.
Step 5: delivery, or come and collect
Finally your finished print is delivered to you, or you can collect it, and B&B Press can also come to you.
Because the team is local, the relationship does not have to be at arm's length. You can visit, collect in person, or have B&B Press come to you to talk through a project. That closeness is part of the point: print you can see being made, by people you can actually meet.
Meet the people behind your print
Your print is produced by a team, not a black box, and knowing who they are is part of what makes B&B Press different. From the person who advises on your enquiry to the press operators and finishers who produce it, the same experienced people handle your work each time.
Team member profiles and photos to be added (for example account contacts, press operators and the finishing team).
As a family run business with over 60 years of experience, B&B Press is built around long relationships, with customers and with staff. That continuity is what lets the team learn your brand and get it right, job after job.
How the B&B Press approach fits
From your first enquiry to the finished job, B&B Press keeps print in expert hands at every step, with the full range under one roof, sustainability shown and balanced from the quote onwards, and a local team you can visit any time. That is what impactful print that does not cost the Earth looks like in practice: made with care, made well, and made close to home.
FAQ
How long does a print job take?
It depends on the job, but as a guide B&B Press quotes typical turnarounds of 2 to 3 days for digital work, 5 to 7 days for standard jobs and 7 to 10 days for specialist work. The team confirms a realistic timescale at the enquiry stage.
Can I see my job being printed?
Yes. Because B&B Press is local, in Parkgate, Rotherham, you are welcome to come and watch your job being printed, or to visit the factory and meet the team.
What is a proof?
A proof is a preview of how your job will look before the full run, used to confirm colour, layout and detail. Signing off a proof is what prevents surprises and protects your brand colours.
Can I visit B&B Press?
Yes. You can visit the factory in Parkgate, Rotherham, to see your job printed or discuss a project, and the team can also come to you.
See your print made
Book a visit to see your next job produced in Parkgate, Rotherham, or start an enquiry with B&B Press and get advice from the first step. Explore the kit behind it on Our Technology, or see the work on Customer Stories.
