Western Australia’s Pilpel Print has closed its doors after 89 years and has been bought by fellow Perth printer Advance Press as its owners exit the print industry.

ProPrint spoke to Advance Press general manager Ian Smith who confirmed the business had purchased Pilpel Print and its sister company Print Finishing Line.

Smith was unable to comment further on the sale, however says there has been ‘communications with client and staff’.

Advance Press is located in Bassendean, WA and is led by directors Ian Smith and Paul Meloncelli. It was bought by Geon in 2007, then Smith led a management buyout in March 2013 as Geon crumbled. Advance also scooped the Best of Category award at the 2015 PICA event.

Pilpel had been operating with third generation printer Geoff Pilpel at the helm as managing director, after his father Richard passed over the reins. Geoff’s grandfather Joshua Pilpel founded the printer in 1927.

[Related: Advance Press grabs $6.3m govt contract]

Both Pilpel owners were reluctant to comment on the sale stating they did not want ‘any publicity’.

Pilpil’s presses – which were in action up until last month – are now up for auction, including its crown jewel Heidelberg Letterpress, which the Pilpel’s describe as the ‘Rolls Royce’ of traditional printing machinery, a HP Indigo 3550 and six-colour Speedmaster SM-6-52.

Its purchase of the HP Indigo 3550 was the first of its kind in the Western Australian print industry.

Well known in the Perth printing landscape and neighbouring some of WA’s biggest players such as Picton Press, Scott Print and Vanguard Press, Pilpel also often scored accolades from the PICA and NPA awards

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