Fast Proof Press (FPP) is a family founded Gold Coast commercial printing business that has been servicing the print needs of both local and interstate clients for over 40 years. They are also the printers of this very magazine!
Situated in Lawrence Drive, Nerang and specialising in digital, web and offset printing, the firm is managed by brothers Matthew and Daniel Whitton, who took over the running of the business from their late father Bob in 1998.
To find out more about the history of the firm and how they’ve managed to stay relevant and successful after all these years, we recently had a chat with Director Of Sales Daniel Whitton.
Can you give us a brief rundown on the history of Fast Proof Press – how it all started and a few of the key milestones you've achieved along the way?
Our father Bob Whitton started Fast Proof Press back in 1979 in a small factory in Southport. He had a vision to service the tourism industry with colour brochures, together with a desire to give his three boys a better life growing up on the Gold Coast. Over his time, he taught us the passion and craft of both printing and running a family business.
Under his reign, the business expanded into the Sydney Market, employing hundreds of people we now call family. Winning both Gold Coast Business of the Year, and Queensland Business of the Year, Fast Proof Press is a well-known Print Service Provider.
Bob "our father" passed away at the early age of 52, passing the business to his sons in 1998.
Your company has been in the printing game now for over 42 years, which in itself is an epic achievement! What particular factors do you think have contributed to FPP remaining relevant and viable, particularly in an industry that has evolved to the degree that printing has?
Fast Proof Press was always and still is to this day, at the forefront of the industry. We were the first to offer colour printing and the first to install Apple Macs and to ‘image direct to plate’. It may seem sad to say, but with the early passing of our father, it left the business to be run by directors whom were in their 20's, allowing us to understand and embrace new technology.
What type of clients do you service and what do you typically provide for them?
We are proud printers of BLANK, as well as printing for many cultural events, BLEACH being another. Looking at our list of clients, we service a broad range of medium to larger size businesses, both in the South East Queensland and Sydney markets. We specialise in creating multi page documents, from hard and soft cover books through to calendars, brochures and magazines. And the types of industries we attract are, Education, Manufacturing, Publishers and the Trade base.
Over the past decade, what do you feel has been the biggest challenge you have faced in staying relevant in the printing game?
Wow, over the last decade there were many challenges, you have all the usuals such as cashflow, bad debts, tight margins, increase in the cost of goods. But the biggest challenge is our competition. In most industries your competition is the guy down the road, but in the printing industry it is China, or Emails, or other forms of Media, not to mention the guy down the road. That said, we take all of these challenges on the chin.
In a rapidly changing world, with less and less physical medium and an ever-stronger focus on the online realms, how do you see the future of printing?
In one word – relevant! Print media is more and more relevant than ever before. Yes, a lot of items have taken the online route, however we are seeing more and more return back to print, as they lose credibility in the online space. Imagine buying a million-dollar property off-the-plan without a really nice brochure to take home with you? Having a hard copy brochure to take home for your coffee table reinforces your decision to purchase. The world wide web is just that, it is very impersonal and so large up-and-coming brands find it very hard to get traction, this is where print shines; branded boxes, local flyer marketing, personalised direct mail, custom corporate gifting and niche magazine publishing all turn to print to become and also to remain relevant.
Check out the team and their services at fastproofpress.com.au.
