08/09/2026
40 Years
Wow 40 years! - Ian started the business on September 8th 1986, working from a small bedroom converted into an office, where he provided an artwork and graphic design service, mainly for the printing trade, utilising brand new technology of the day - the Apple Mac with it’s 7” black and white screen.
Two years later he bought a shop in Poulton-le-Fylde and started to offer printing services to the public. The previous year, Rob Steele started Pacesetter Services, specialising in typesetting and also embracing the changes that Apple had created in our industry.
Fast forward to 1996 and Rob and Ian had joined forces in Poulton, trading as Forsyth and Steele, a partnership and friendship that has endured ever since.
The business eventually outgrew the shop premises and they purchased an industrial unit and offices at Sovereign Court. With the move came more opportunities and bigger clients and despite a recession that followed the banking crisis of 2008, Forsyth and Steele continued to thrive, investing in digital presses and finishing equipment as well as wide format printing.
As we entered 2019, with Rob starting his retirement, they sold their factory and moved the short distance to new premises at Kincraig Business Park in north Blackpool. Six months later, the move was overshadowed by the Covid pandemic, but they were resilient, adapting to new working practices and managing to carry on limited production for those industries that needed printing. Emerging from that time, Forsyth and Steele was a leaner and more efficient outfit, eager to continue to invest and grow and soon returned to pre-Covid levels and above.
In 2025, Ian’s son Alex, rejoined the business in a management role and later that year we welcomed Jacob Knowles and Anthony Taylor, as their Empine Group took a significant interest in the company. As part of Ian’s move towards retirement, Alex took over as MD and the transition to the ‘Next Generation’ started. The last 12 months have seen continued investment in a fully automated Morgana Bookletmaker and an automatic business card cutter and in the last few months, a new HP Latex wide format printer.
This month marks 40 years since those humble beginnings in 1986 and Ian has now finally decided to take a well earned rest and fully retire, confident that Alex, Jacob and Anthony will carry on the legacy of Forsyth and Steele for many years to come.
