▲ Textile printing is a big part of Venture Banner’s offering due to the increased popularity of more sustainable solutions in wideformat graphics litho job. That reliability is something we take pride in and plan to build on further as we continue to invest and evolve.” While Bishops classes itself as predominantly as a trade printer, the business does work directly with clients such as football clubs and publishers for which relationships have been built over many years. Pearce says that the business has leaned much more towards trade partners over the years due to the trust, consistency, and regularity which has been established with them. Just as Bishops has moved more and more into digital print solutions, a company that has shown the increasing popularity of wide-format print is Venture Banners, an Essex-based trade-only supplier of display solutions. Scott Conway, sales and marketing director at Venture Banners, explains: “When we started out as a small operation in 2009 we had the simple but ambitious goal of making large-format print accessible to every business in the print industry. Naturally, that necessitated offering a trade-only service. Today, we remain true to our founding goal of offering customers excellent service and transparent pricing that enables them to grow their businesses by tapping into opportunities in large-format print.” Conway says that printers come to Venture Banners for a variety of reasons, including high street printers who do not have the space for large equipment, or commercial print businesses who want to increase their service offering without a heavy capital outlay. Conway also uses the examples of businesses who want to provide a new offering to long-standing customers, or design studios with added-value print services. When it comes to what Venture Banners is expanding on, Conway says: “The tradeonly space typically reflects wider trends across the industry, and unsurprisingly, we’ve seen demand for textile-based signage and banners grow significantly over the past few years as the sustainability, reusability, transportability, and other benefits of these materials have become more widely recognised. “One of our most in-demand textile products is our stretch fabric walls, which says a lot about the factors that are driving demand for textile. Very popular for events and exhibitions, but also in co-working spaces – they’re simple to put up, light, and easy to transport, and can instantly brand a space in a really impactful way.” One element that Conway stresses is important for those moving into large-format work is checking artwork for hidden issues such as overprinting, low resolution images, and keylines. “Make sure you get your artwork right, check what you’re ordering, think about your customer’s use case, and don’t be scared to ask questions,” says Conway, clarifying: “That may sound simplistic, but if you think about all the times orders don’t come out as they should, it’s usually down to something pretty simple.” Distinct Channels Many trade printers have made sure to innovate and develop easier ways for customers to engage with sales channels in the last few years. Solopress, an online printer which serves B2C clients, SMEs, large organisations, and print resellers, has made several changes to its structure in 74 email: editor@printmonthly.co.uk September / October 2025 - Issue 356 Venture Banner’s percentage of textile production has increased from 29% in 2024 to 42% in 2025 42% TRADE PRINTERS | DAVID OSGAR
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