However, over the last decade or so the boundaries have become increasingly blurred with litho printers adding digital to the mix, jobbing commercial printers bringing finishing in-house and wide-format printers branching out into smaller print formats.

Another area that printers have expanded into – perhaps due in part to the rise of the print manager – is design. Many printing companies boast design backgrounds – they started out as pure design agencies who dealt with printers on a daily basis but then one day they decided to bypass the printer entirely by investing their own presses. But today we're increasingly seeing traditional printing businesses add in-house design to their offer (or growing their in-house design team).

It's an interesting trend when you consider the relationship between designers and printers has historically been a combative one with designers reluctant to engage with printers and involve them in the production process until it's time to put ink on paper. As a result of this friction it has severely limited the efficiency, creativity and output of both parties.

But with clients looking for a greater ROI on their investment in printed collateral thanks to the harsh economic climate, we're slowly but surely starting to see greater levels of collaboration with clients and their designers inviting printers to get involved earlier in the process than ever before. And on some occasions clients are bypassing designers entirely and getting the printer's in-house design team to conjure something up.

'It's a win-win all round...'

The advantages of going down this route are obvious when you think about it. In addition to having expertise in areas like artworking and structural design, printers also have a unique insight into print production processes. Their in-house design experts can propose the best and most creative solution in the most appropriate format knowing full well that thanks to the company's technical expertise they can deliver on this promise whereas a designer may not even know that this capability exists. It also saves time and money to do things under the same roof, which in turn allows printers to be more cost competitive and pass these savings on to their clients. It's a win-win all round – unless you're a design agency.