Shaun Hammersley made the step-up from employee to owner in July. Doran Printing is based in the Melbourne suburb of Braeside.

He said although he had long-term ideas about restructuring, changes would be kept to a minimum in the short term while he reassured clients and built up a war chest.

“The main plan is to keep everything very, very steady and calm and not change anything too much,” he told ProPrint.

“I want to give it at least 12 months before I start looking at other avenues to take, such as increasing our digital capacity or wide format.”

Hammersley said the firm’s 300 clients had been very supportive and that all 14 employees have been retained, including founder Shane Doran, who “will take a gradual step backward” over the next two years.

He said that the business now turned over more than $3 million per year after growing conservatively since it was founded 28 years ago.

“As long as I can keep it at the same level [in the first year], I’ll be happy with that,” he said.

He admitted that he was aware of the risks of investing in the current climate, but that the acquisition had been a long time coming.

“It’s very tough and very scary. My wife was very concerned about it,” he told ProPrint.

“I’ve been wanting to buy it for a long time, but financial commitments have made it difficult to do.”

Hammersley said 40% of revenue came from three main clients: the Catholic Church, a miner and a graphic designer.

Doran Printing’s main presses include a five-colour Komori Lithrone, a Komori Spica and a Heidelberg GTO 46 that has been around since the business started, said Hammersley.

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