How to deal with printer’s insurance and stay fully covered

We speak to Luke Wildey – former printer and now Development Executive with Howden’s Print Team – about how to make sure you have the right insurance cover.

Business insurance, especially for printers, can be a very complicated issue. But when it comes to making sure the cover you have is adequate there is one key rule: honesty really does make for the best insurance policy.

“Generally speaking, it all comes down to keeping your broker honest. But in order to keep your broker honest, you need to make sure that you’re declaring as much as possible, because insurers will closely assess claims and expect full and accurate information,” Luke Wildey, Development Executive with Howden Insurance’s Print Team says.

“If you’re not honest, you’re either going to end up losing money or with a claim that’s not paid out. So, the more your broker knows, the better. Yes, it might cause some headaches, but once a year, go through your insurance with your broker.

“Also, vet your broker carefully. Don’t assume they understand your business – generally they won’t. Ask them something that someone who knows your business should know: the difference between lamination and encapsulation, for example. Do it face-to-face, so they can’t use Copilot or ChatGPT. See if they really understand your business or not.”

Print-specific expertise is one area where Luke stands out among other insurance brokers. Luke started his working life with Visual Impact in London, working for customers like Capita, BBC Worldwide and Hamley’s before going on to do a lot of work for The Range stores. Luke’s knowledge means that any clients who don’t follow his advice regarding full disclosure and transparency are quickly put right.

“For example, I know – having been there and done it – that it’s far easier to remove existing window graphics by using a hot air gun and some form of blade or a scraper with a little bit of isopropyl alcohol,” Luke says.

“So, when someone says to me that they do window graphics and they’re not doing what insurance terms ‘heat work away’ – which is a risk in underwriters’ eyes – I’m going to question that immediately. It’s similar with vehicle graphics. Underwriters want people to use wrapcut or knifeless tape to create clean lines, but that tape is largely useless – you’re far better off declaring that you use blades on vehicles.