14 email: editor@printmonthly.co.uk May | June 2026 - Issue 360 printmonthly PrintMonthlyMagazine printmonthly_signlink printmonthly SOFTWARE | NEWS UK-based advertising marketplace, Advercado, has announced plans for Version 2 of its marketplace platform, which introduces a refined interface, improved booking tools, and greater scalability. Advercado was first founded as a ‘one-stop shop’ for small businesses to browse, book, and buy local out-of-home (OOH) advertising spaces. The website acts as a middleman, connecting small business owners directly with vendors who sell advertising space. Speaking to Print Monthly about the core concept behind the company, Advercado’s managing director, Joe Reid, says: “We wanted to offer the same OOH opportunities to the 99% of small businesses, by giving them the tools to create a marketplace where local ad spend also stays within the community.” Advercado has since expanded its offering to incorporate a range of other potential marketing services, including small-format and wide-format print. The latest update to the community‑driven online marketplace now enables small- and medium‑sized printers to create their own online storefronts and product catalogues, in a format that Advercado labels as “comparable to Vistaprint, but without the cost, complexity, or ongoing technical burden.” Explaining this concept further, Reid says: “Where we can offer a suite of tools to list variable products to print businesses, the printers can simply take advantage of these listing tools to create their own store and storefront.” TRACK7 Technology Group, the parent group of Newcastle-based digital development agency Enigma Interactive, has acquired RWS Web Solutions, the Cumbrian business behind Flex4 Online Print Solution (OPS). Flex4 OPS, which is based in Kendal, Cumbria, will continue to operate as an independent business, with co-founder Francis Whiteley remaining as managing director and the existing team staying in place. Founded and developed in the UK, the Online Print Solution (OPS) from Flex4 combines web-to-print technology with digital marketing to help print businesses develop profitable online sales channels. Its client and partner base includes companies such as Optimus MIS and Konica Minolta. The acquisition represents an extension of Enigma’s output into the specialist digital commerce segment. For Flex4 OPS, the deal aims to provide access to greater technical depth and strategic investment. The move is Enigma’s parent group’s first acquisition, forming part of a longer-term strategy to expand TRACK7 through the addition of complementary digital platforms and specialist teams. Steve Grainger, founder and managing director at Enigma Interactive, says: “Flex4 OPS has built a strong product and is market leader in a highly competitive sector. Bringing the business under the umbrella of the Track7 Technology Group will allow it to consolidate its market leading position and support its next stage of growth. Over the coming months we’ll be investing in the platform, strengthening capability, and helping the team scale, while keeping Flex4’s day-today operations independent.” Francis Whiteley, managing director at Flex4 OPS, adds: “This is a positive step for Flex4. After many years as a familyrun business, this acquisition gives us the backing, leadership support, and investment we need to take the company to the next level, while keeping things ‘business as usual’ for our customers.” [Pictured] Steve Grainger, founder and managing director at Enigma Interactive Advercado challenges status quo Print-focused technology provider, Fiery, has announced the official launch of Fiery Scribe, an agentic AI solution designed to automatically read email job requests and convert them into ready-to-print jobs. Fiery Scribe can analyse email requests to determine the print specifications of a job before uploading them into the Fiery Command WorkStation, with the aim of avoiding human errors and shortening time spent in prepress. The Scribe AI system is agentic, meaning that it acts independently to achieve its task without human intervention, automatically monitoring email inboxes for job requests. Once a job is detected, Fiery Scribe uses large language model (LLM) training to extract key details like quantity, media, and finishing before applying relevant job properties. The system is also designed to actively learn from past jobs to further improve its accuracy. Company behind Flex4 OPS purchased Fiery launches Fiery Scribe Advercado connects small businesses directly with vendors who sell marketing or advertising services By Jonathan Pert By Jonathan Pert By Jonathan Pert Fiery Scribe is designed to actively learn from past jobs to improve accuracy
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