Ask a handful of Surrey business owners how they found their printer and most will give you the same answer. Someone recommended them, or they were just down the road.

Being close by still counts for a lot. You can drop in, hold a proof on the actual stock and talk to the people running the press. But location is only the start. The printer you choose shapes how your brand looks and feels the moment it lands in a customer’s hands.

This guide covers what good Guildford print looks like today, the questions worth asking before you place an order, and how Stag Print has worked as one of the established Guildford printers since 1979.

Why Local Guildford Printers Still Matter

Online print websites are fine for a quick batch of standard flyers. The trouble starts when a job is anything less than standard. A brochure with an awkward fold. A carton that has to fit a candle jar exactly. A brand colour that keeps coming back slightly off.

With a local printer you deal with a person, not a ticket number. You can bring in a sample, compare paper weights side by side and sign off a physical proof before the full run goes on press. If something needs changing, a phone call usually sorts it.

There is a practical side too. Collecting from a site in Guildford is often quicker than waiting for a courier slot, and delivery around Surrey and the South East is easier to plan when the work is produced nearby. When a launch date is fixed, that kind of certainty is worth having.

What a Good Guildford Print Company Should Offer

Not every printer works the same way. These are the things that separate a reliable partner from a supplier you will be chasing every week.

Everything Made Under One Roof

Plenty of businesses that sell print do not actually print anything. They take your order and pass it to a trade printer somewhere else in the country. That is not always a disaster, but it does mean the person you speak to cannot see your job, cannot check colour at the press and cannot fix a problem before it reaches your door.

So ask a simple question: where will my job be printed, and by whom?

At Stag Print, the answer is our own production facility at Merrow Business Park in Guildford. Lithographic and digital presses sit alongside die cutting, folding, foiling and embossing equipment. A job moves from artwork to finished piece without ever leaving the building, which gives us full control over quality and timing.

The Right Press for the Job

Digital and litho printing each have their place, and an honest printer will tell you which one suits your order.

Digital printing works well for short runs, personalized items and quick reprints. There are no plates to make, so setup is fast and small quantities stay affordable.

Litho printing comes into its own on longer runs. Colour stays consistent across thousands of sheets and the cost per item drops as quantities rise. For a large brochure order or a seasonal mailing, litho is usually the sensible choice.

A good printer will look at your quantity, deadline and budget, then recommend the process that makes sense rather than whatever happens to be free on the shop floor.

Finishing That Makes Print Feel Considered

Foil on a business card. An embossed logo on a presentation folder. A clean die cut window on a product box.

Finishing is often what separates print people keep from print people throw away. Having it done on site also means fewer handovers between suppliers and fewer chances for something to go wrong along the way.

Responsible Paper Choices

Customers increasingly want to know where materials come from. Stag Print holds FSC® and PEFC certification, so the paper and board we use can be traced back to responsibly managed sources.

If sustainability is part of your brand story, your printed material should back that story up rather than quietly undermine it.

Packaging as Well as Print

This is where Stag Print differs from most Guildford printers. Alongside commercial print, we manufacture folding carton board packaging in house.

That includes boxes for cosmetics, candles, wellness products and food, as well as printed sleeves, wraparounds and labels for retail and pet food brands. We also produce bespoke packaging for products that do not fit neatly into a standard format. Instead of squeezing your product into an off the shelf box, we build the structure around it.

For growing brands, having print and packaging under one supplier makes life a lot easier. Your leaflets, product cartons and point of sale material are produced on presses set to the same standard, so your brand colours stay consistent from the box on the shelf to the brochure in the post.

It also saves time. One conversation, one set of proofs and one delivery schedule is far easier to manage than juggling two or three separate suppliers.

Common Jobs We Handle for Local Businesses

Our customers range from start ups to universities, and the work varies just as much. Some of the most common requests include:

  • Brochures and magazines, from short digital runs to high volume litho orders
  • Leaflets and flyers for promotions, open days, events and campaigns
  • Presentation folders, certificates, books and other bespoke print
  • Folding carton boxes for retail, beauty and food products
  • Printed sleeves and labels for packaged goods

Some relationships go back a long way. St Mary’s University, for example, has worked with Stag Print for more than 25 years. That kind of loyalty does not come from price alone. It comes from turning up, getting it right and being easy to talk to when plans change.

Questions to Ask Before Choosing Guildford Printers

Before you commit to a supplier, it is worth running through a short checklist. The answers will tell you a lot.

Is the work produced on your premises? If not, find out who actually prints it and how quality is checked.

Can I see a proof on the real stock? A PDF proof shows layout, but only a printed proof shows how colour and paper behave together.

Which process suits my quantity? A good printer will explain the difference between digital and litho for your specific order.

What file setup do you need? Clear guidance on bleed, resolution and colour mode saves delays later.

Are your materials certified? Look for FSC® or PEFC certification if responsible sourcing matters to you.

Who do I contact if something goes wrong? A named person who knows your job is worth far more than a generic inbox.

Getting Your Artwork Print Ready

A smooth print job starts with good files. A few simple checks will save time and avoid nasty surprises:

  • Supply artwork in CMYK rather than RGB, since screen colours do not always translate to ink
  • Use images at around 300dpi at the size they will be printed
  • Add 3mm bleed on all edges so trimming leaves no white slivers
  • Keep text and logos a few millimetres inside the trim line
  • Embed or outline fonts so nothing changes when the file is opened elsewhere

If you are unsure about any of this, send your file over and ask. Our team would much rather spend five minutes checking artwork than reprint a full run.

Over 45 Years of Guildford Print

Stag Print was established in 1979 and has been producing work from Guildford ever since. In that time the presses have changed, but the approach has not. Do the job properly, keep it in house and look after customers so they come back.

That approach has been recognised along the way. We won at the Solutions Awards in 2019, took Silver at the SME Surrey Business Awards in 2024 and were named a finalist at the SME National Awards the same year. We are also proud to carry the Made in Britain mark.

We care about our home town as well. For years we have supplied printing pro bono to Oakleaf Enterprise, a Guildford charity that supports adults living with mental health challenges.

While our roots are in Surrey, our customers are spread across the South East, the Midlands and the North. Plenty of them have never visited Guildford. They simply value working with a printer that does what it says.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Stag Print based? We are at Unit 2c, Merrow Business Park, Guildford, Surrey, GU4 7WA.

Do you only work with businesses in Guildford? No. We supply print and packaging to businesses throughout the UK, although many of our customers are based in Surrey and the South East.

Can you handle small print runs? Yes. Digital printing makes short runs practical and cost effective, while litho suits larger quantities.

Do you produce packaging as well as print? Yes. We manufacture folding carton boxes, printed sleeves, labels and bespoke packaging alongside brochures, leaflets and other commercial print.

How do I get a quote? Call us, email us or fill in the form on our contact page with a few details about your project.

Talk to a Guildford Printer Who Does the Work Themselves

If you are looking for Guildford printers who handle the job from start to finish, we would love to hear about your next project. Whether it is a short run of leaflets, a new brochure or packaging for a product launch, our team can talk you through the options and give you a clear quote.

Call 01483 303 333, email info@stagprint.co.uk or get in touch through our contact page. We are open Monday to Friday, 8.30am to 5.00pm.