Confessions of a Print Insider: Interview with Terry Adams

Q: Can you share your journey into the printing industry and what inspired you to join Healeys Printers?

A: “If I’m honest, I fell into the industry when I left school. I wanted to be in computers, but my friend and I applied for the same job and he got it. I applied at a printers in the next town on, after seeing their advert in the local paper, and was offered the job on the spot after my interview. Apparently, down to my confident, charming nature honed on the fruit and veg stall I had been working on since I was 11 years of age… (maybe why I’ve ended up in sales).

I worked there, starting at the bottom, and through the 18 years the business ran I worked in every department bar accounts. From order clerk through to production manager as the business grew from a small family run £850k turnover to £8 million in its prime. Sadly, as many print businesses have gone down the years, it was selling its products too cheap and it folded, leaving me looking for employment. I was all set to leave the industry but realised one morning I’m good at what I do, have a lot of knowledge and I’d always wanted to try sales. I approached a bespoke print employment agency and after having an interview with three businesses in Suffolk and Norfolk, one of which was Healeys, I decided on Healeys. The reason… Philip Dodd, the owner. We got on very well in that initial meeting, and I was inspired by the passion he had for print, Healeys and how he spoke of the team at Healeys as a family. He was true to his word, and to this day Healeys is run as a big family which is why I’m sure we continue to thrive in the world of print.”

Q: What's one common misconception about print that you'd like to clear up for our readers?

A: “That it’s a dirty industry or not good for the environment; ‘Green washing’ around the print industry is common place and it’s used by big organisations like banks, fuel companies and supermarkets purely to cut cost, not for the purpose they say of helping the environment.

An organisation called Two Sides challenges these businesses to be more truthful on this. Most paper these days is FSC compliant, meaning you can see the chain of custody, tracking the source of the pulp to the printed page. Although print is a large energy consuming industry it has come on massively in the 30+ years I have been in the industry. Most printers belong to some kind of carbon balancing scheme, and as a basic, a printer should be carbon balancing their paper. 

All paper waste is recycled, and production is now mostly chemical free. Print and paper is one of the most sustainable mediums available and we need to be aware that ‘the cloud’ has an output far more harmful than print and paper, and is far less recyclable. It’s a subject requiring an article all on its own!”

Q: What’s the weirdest or most unexpected project you've ever been asked to print?

A: “There’s been a few down the years, but without a doubt the weirdest one was producing a Valentines card for a local council about safe sex. There’s more… One day 5,000 condoms turned up at the factory and we had to stick one into each card. It was all hands to the pump in the factory to get the job done. The jokes and puns were amusing!”

Q: How is AI affecting the print industry and what’s the future too?

A: “At present, it’s not having a big affect, but I’m sure in the coming years as with all industries it will have its mark. This great article in Print Week talks about where the industry believes it will come in…

Q: In your experience, how does the choice of print finish affect the perception of a brand or product?

A: “The finish of a design or printed product can have a massive transitional effect. A poor design can become something remarkable and sadly it can also go the other way. When I shop, I’m quite sad, I look at the packaging and can be drawn to buy that product because of how its been finished or the added affect of a special finish, such as spot UV. Many of us look at the big brands and are drawn to them, not just because of the item they are selling but how their product is branded on the shelf. If the brand looks and feels cheap in its marketing state (packaging, cover or the item itself) then we can simply turn off or avoid and go to one more appealing. Even if the product is better, we may not spend the time to find out.

It really is worth spending that bit more time or money to add value to a printed product to make it grab attention, make it stand out from the crowd. Return on investment in this area can pay for itself many times over. It’s always worth chatting to your printer to see what they can offer or recommend.”

Q: In your opinion, what's the most underrated aspect of print design that deserves more attention?

A: “Paper, 100%!! Again, as I mentioned previously, it can elevate a design project or destroy it based on what material you choose to produce it on. Coated stocks have their place, uncoated theirs and textured or coloured stocks should never be ignored depending on what the design project is for. It’s worth consulting the printer, seeing samples plain or printed, before getting the item produced.

A good printer (cough cough Healeys) has the knowledge, and paper ranges, to make anything stand out from the crowd. The range of papers has always been, from day one of my life in print, a fascination for me and continues to this day.”