COMPLETE COLOUR AND ADAMS PRINT MERGE

Two of the leading print businesses in Victoria have merged, with Complete Colour Printing and Adams Print now part of the same company.

The two businesses will keep their existing brands, with Complete Colour operating from its purpose-built high-tech 3,500sqm centre in Cheltenham, and Adams Print maintaining its operation from its Geelong base.

Adams Print co-owner Robert Soutar will retire, his brother Shane stays as head of sales at Adams Print while joining the new set up, which is run by Complete Colour partners Tim Michaelides and Geoff Lawyer.

The companies say the merger is an “excellent opportunity” to bring two well established brands, and is a “pathway to create a highly credentialed business with environmental and socially responsible practices”, with “a reputation of high quality and personalised service”, that fits snuggly into the ‘Print With Trust’ brand of the business. The businesses have both B1 and B2 offset presses, and digital printing.

Michaelides said, “Now we get to combine the best of two high-performance businesses for the benefit for our loyal existing clients, together with future prospective clients, who can expect to receive the trusted and innovative print and communication services we are both known to deliver.”

Shane Soutar said "I am excited to bring the rich legacy of the Adams Print brand into Complete Colour, a company renowned for its industry-leading environmental credentials and commitment to quality.

“Over the past 25 years, my brother Robert and I have been proud custodians of our 130-year-old company, building a reputation for excellence and integrity. With Robert now retiring, we are confident that this transition will further elevate our brand within the trusted and environmentally conscious Complete Colour family.

“This merger represents not only a continuation but an enhancement of the values and standards our clients have come to expect from Adams Print."

Founded in 1992 by Michaelides, Complete Colour is one of the country’s most environmentally progressive print businesses, with a 200Kw LGC certified Solar Power plant and operates with ISO EMS14001, QMS9001 and FSC certifications. Geoff Lawyer joined in the early 2000s from a leading London print business.

It services a wide market sector of established national clientele, with personalised, industry-leading operating procedures, producing cutting-edge quality printed products.

Lawyer said, "We are thrilled to join Adams Print, a prestigious company that has consistently operated at an exceptional level, playing a crucial role in Victorian communities and beyond since the Gold Rush era.

“The outstanding craftsmanship and expertise it has cultivated over the decades perfectly complement the environmental innovations and sustainable practices that Complete Colour has pioneered for the past 32 years. This synergy fills us with immense excitement, energy and optimism for the future of our business together."

Adams Print is one of the country’s oldest established print businesses, with a rich 130-year history, and one of the most highly awarded, earning more than 30 Gold Medals, three prestigious Judges Awards, and two Heidelberg ‘Excellence in Craft’ accolades at the National Print Awards over the past 20 years.

Adams Print founder Hubert Adams, aged 21, started the company by establishing the Grenville Standard at Linton, near Ballarat in 1895, and then publishing and printing newspapers for the miners on the goldfields between Geelong and Ballarat, before relocating the business to Geelong in 1922. He was fatally injured in bicycle accident in 1948, with his daughter Lynn and grandson Bruce taking over the business. Bruce sold it to the Adams brothers 47 years later, in 1995, who moved it into new purpose built premises in Geelong in 2002.