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Monday 9am - 5:30pm Tuesday 9am - 3:30pm Wednesday 9am - 5:30pm Thursday 9am - 5:30pm Friday 9am - 5:30pm

Bishops Printers

Name: Bishops Printers
Address: Portsmouth, PO61TR, GB
Telephone: +442392334900
Price range: ££

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Bishops Printers

The complete print & mailing solution! Specialists in quality brochures, catalogues, programmes & magazines.

Established in 1985, our family business has grown to become one of the largest specialist B2 lithographic and short-run digital print firms in the UK. Our customers come in every size and shape and so do their print requirements; from small, one-off jobs for local businesses to complete print and mailing solutions for well known brands and trade customers.

06/10/2026

𝗣𝗿𝗶𝗻𝘁 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀 #𝟰

Die-cutting can do more than change the shape. If you're not familiar with the term, die-cutting uses a specially made cutting tool to cut a shape, opening or edge into a printed sheet. It tends to be associated with practical or decorative shaping, but used thoughtfully, it can also change how someone interacts with a printed piece.

This A5 brochure for Compton Verney features a die-cut window in the cover, revealing just part of the image underneath. That partial view creates curiosity, inviting the reader to pick up the brochure and discover what’s behind it.

It’s particularly effective when the brochure is displayed alongside other literature, where the first challenge is getting noticed.

Die-cutting typically adds 1-2 days to production time. Keep the die-cut design simple, avoiding intricate detail for the best results, and remember to include additional artwork files for the cutter guide.

The best finishing choices aren’t simply decorative. They give people a reason to pick up your print.

23/09/2026

Before a single sheet reaches the press, someone has to work out the smartest way to produce it.

That’s where Harvey comes in.

Harvey is one of our estimators and, this November, will have been part of Bishops for 12 years. He joined us after graduating from the University of Portsmouth with a BSc in Business and Information Technology.

Estimating is part technical knowledge, part problem-solving. Our estimators need to understand how a job will move through repro, litho or digital print and finishing. That includes the different impositions, folds, binding methods, materials and specialist finishes that could be used to produce it.

Technology helps us prepare estimates more quickly, but around 55% still need the judgement of an experienced estimator. Between them, our five-strong estimating team has clocked up 66 years at Bishops, with ongoing training whenever new equipment or technology is introduced.

When the working day is over, Harvey swaps print specifications for family time with his fiancée and their toddler, Elodie.

28/07/2026

𝗣𝗿𝗶𝗻𝘁 𝗜𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀 #𝟮

𝗦𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝗮 𝟯𝟮-𝗽𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸𝗹𝗲𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝘀𝘁𝘀 𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝗮 𝟮𝟴-𝗽𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸𝗹𝗲𝘁.

It may seem counterintuitive, but page count doesn’t always determine the most cost-efficient option.

An A5 saddle stitched booklet is typically manufactured in 16-page sections. A 32-page booklet fits neatly into two complete sections, whereas a 28-page version may require a less efficient production route.

Depending on the specification and quantity, the additional set-up and handling can outweigh the saving from using slightly less paper, increasing per unit costs.

That's why it's always worth speaking to your printer before artwork is finalised. A small change to the page count could give you more space for content while making the job more efficient to manufacture.

22/07/2026

𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐭 𝐈𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 #𝟏

𝐀 𝟐𝟕-𝐩𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐥𝐞𝐭 𝐰𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤.

If you're producing a digital publication in print for the first time, this is one of the easiest details to overlook.

Stapled booklets (known in the trade as saddle stitched) are made from folded sheets. Each sheet creates four printed pages, so the finished page count must always be in multiples of four.

That means a 27-page booklet can’t be produced and has to increase to 28 or 32 pages before it can run through our Müller Martini saddle stitching lines.

Understanding the production process and plan your page count accordingly can help you avoid last minute artwork changes later and, in some cases, even reduce production costs.

06/07/2026

What better way to celebrate a city's 100th birthday than by inspiring its youngest residents to discover more about the place they call home?

As part of the Portsmouth100 Sparks celebrations, 17,000 colouring books have been produced for Portsmouth primary school children. Designed by Seekers Create, each page encourages children to explore, celebrate and enjoy different aspects of our incredible city, creating a keepsake that extends the centenary celebrations into classrooms and homes.

We feel privileged to have supported the production of these A4, 24-page colouring books, printed here in Portsmouth. It's been a pleasure to play a small part in helping bring such a fantastic community project to life.

As a business with deep roots in the city, many of us have children, family or friends in Portsmouth schools, making it especially rewarding to know these books will soon be enjoyed by thousands of our young people.

Congratulations to everyone behind Portsmouth100 Sparks and all of the sponsors and partners whose support has helped make this project possible.

SPARK Community Space Seekers Create Shaping Portsmouth Hampshire Flag Company Spinnaker Tower Citrus Facilites Management Delivered Social Gunwharf Quays

16/06/2026

Every day, our production team handles a wide range of publications. This one caught our attention before it even left the binder.

Produced as a bespoke 115 x 165mm What's On Guide, this publication stood out as it made its way through production.

While many perfect bound publications follow standard formats, projects like this demonstrate the flexibility needed to produce something a little different. Despite its compact size, the guide still features a substantial 160-page text section, a 6-page rebated cover and a durable PUR perfect bound finish.

In this video, you can follow its journey through our Kolbus perfect binding line, where the printed sections are gathered, bound and trimmed into the finished guide.

It's a good example of what we enjoy about print manufacturing. Standardisation delivers efficiency, but every so often a bespoke specification comes along that reminds you just how adaptable modern print production can be.

Find out more about our perfect binding capabilities, link below:

https://bit.ly/4xvyRZD

02/06/2026

𝗗𝗶𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄?

Simple adjustments to the way artwork is set up can reduce print costs and speed up production.

Take presentation folders for example.

On capacity folders, moving the glue flap from the pocket onto the main body of the folder can completely change how the job is finished.

𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿?

Because instead of being glued and finished by hand, the folders can be produced on a machine.

𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝗻𝘀:

– quicker turnaround
– more consistent finishing
– lower production costs

The difference in production speed can be significant:

Around 250–300 folders per hour by hand vs up to 4,000 per hour on a machine.

The finished folder can look exactly the same to the end user, but the way it’s designed can make a big difference behind the scenes.

That’s why it’s always worth involving your printer early in the process. Or you could save yourself the time and effort by using one of our freely available folder templates. Link below:

🔗 https://bit.ly/4o5dbPN

𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁’𝘀 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗻𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝗱𝗲 𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗶𝗲𝗿.

29/05/2026

𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗱𝗶𝗴𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗽𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗻𝘁?
𝗠𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝘃𝗼𝗶𝗱..

𝟭. 𝗜𝗻𝘀𝘂𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗲𝗱.
Looks great on screen, but manufacturing processes require margins beyond the edge of the digital page view. If you don’t add a 3mm bleed margin, when the book block is trimmed to size, content may be cut off!

𝟮. 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼𝗼 𝗰𝗹𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗲𝗱𝗴𝗲
Any content less than 5mm from the spine edge may be sucked into the spine. By allowing a 5-8mm margin on that side, you’ll protect your double page spreads from distortion and you’ll avoid disappearing text.

𝟯. 𝗕𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝘁𝗲𝘅𝘁 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝘁 𝗮𝘀 ‘𝗥𝗶𝗰𝗵 𝗕𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗸’
Rich Black CMYK (typically 60C, 40M, 40Y, 100K) is fine for large format display artwork with large areas of solid colour, but not for body copy. Because it uses four separate inks, even a slight movement on press can cause the colours to fall out of alignment, creating visible coloured edges or a blurred appearance around the text. This effect is often more noticeable on uncoated stocks, where the ink spreads slightly into the paper fibres.

𝟰. 𝗜𝗺𝗮𝗴𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝘁 𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻, 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗻𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻
Images taken from websites, PowerPoint slides or social media are usually too low resolution for print, even if they look fine on screen. For professional print quality, images should be 300 ppi at the size they will appear in the final artwork. Reducing the image size in InDesign does not automatically improve image quality enough for print, and increasing the resolution later in Photoshop cannot recreate lost detail. Always check the effective resolution in your layout file before exporting your PDF.

Designing for print is a specialist skill. If you’re investing in a perfect bound publication, it’s worth getting your artwork prepared by an experienced graphic design professional.

21/05/2026

𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝘀𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝗱𝘁𝗵 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀

Do you know why 3mm is often cited as the recommended minimum spine width for perfect-bound publications? It’s because:

1) It gives enough surface area for sufficient and consistent application of adhesive. This means pages will remain securely bound into the spine even after repeated use.
2) It allows for slight mechanical variances during the binding process without compromising the end result.
3) The spine can carry very small, but still legible text on the spine

While the above is still true, technological advances in both adhesives and equipment mean that, if your spine isn’t required to carry information, narrower spine widths are now an option.

At Bishops, we’re a bit unusual for a commercial printer because we have not just one, but two perfect binders. The 45-metre-long, 16-station Kolbus is designed for high-volume, perfect binding at speed. The much smaller Horizon iCE operates at a lower speed and is perfect for digital print runs. We routinely produce perfect-bound publications with a 2mm spine width and, depending on the project, we can go even lower.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝗻 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂?

Perfect binding isn’t limited to really high page counts anymore. Thin brochures, programmes and reports can now achieve the same clean, square-spine finish traditionally associated with premium publications. It also makes shorter print runs far more financially viable than they were previously.

𝗕𝗲 𝗮𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗲…

Incorrect spine widths are a common cause of delays in print production. Spine width should never be guessed, as your paper choice has a significant impact on the final measurement. For example, a 3mm spine could require 48 printed pages on 100 gsm Silk stock, but only 36pp on an uncoated stock because uncoated papers are bulkier. So, always finalise the print specification before creating the cover artwork to avoid extra cost and delays later on. If you need it, our team is always on hand to help…

08/05/2026

Big nights create big demand, and that’s where the right print partner makes all the difference. ⚽

With Arsenal reaching the Champions League Final, demand for matchday programmes has surged once again. Following sell-outs at both The Mailing People and the Club, Bishops Printers are now producing additional reprints to get the programme into the hands of the fans.

We saw this same trend last season during Arsenal vs Real Madrid, where programmes sold out repeatedly, leading to multiple reprints and over 3,500 copies sold through The Mailing People's online portal alone.

This season, demand is climbing day by day, with ad hoc orders already exceeding 1,000 programmes and continuing to grow.

Moments like these highlight the value of working with suppliers who can flex with you:
✅ Scalable production capacity
✅ Fast turnaround times
✅ Integrated print and mailing operations
✅ The ability to react quickly when demand exceeds forecasts

For clubs, retailers and publishers alike, agility matters just as much as quality.

We love being a small part of supporting our partners behind the scenes for some of football’s biggest occasions. 👏

If you're interested in getting hold of the programme click the link here: https://programme.arsenal.com/product/arsenal-v-atletico-madrid-tuesday-may-5-2026

Address

Portsmouth
PO61TR

Opening Hours

Monday	9am - 5:30pm
Tuesday	9am - 3:30pm
Wednesday	9am - 5:30pm
Thursday	9am - 5:30pm
Friday	9am - 5:30pm

Telephone

+442392334900

Website

http://www.bishops.co.uk/

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