However, it seems up to half the staff could lose their jobs.

The Printing Department and sister business Carbonbook called in administrators McGrath Nicol on 17 February.

The companies had been run by Michael Liley, who bought The Printing Department from former owner James Becker on 27 July 2009.

Becker reacquired the business at the beginning of this week. Prior to the buyout last year, Becker had run The Printing Department for nearly 21 years.

He told ProPrint: “We wish it had never happened. It’s been negative for most people. And we’d like to move on quickly.”

Becker said the company would continue to trade as The Printing Department.

“We’d like to trade on our previous record,” he added.

The company had employed around 30-35 staff before Liley acquired it last year, after which it was ramped up to around 50 employees.

One inside source told ProPrint that a number of the company’s top salespeople had left following Liley’s acquisition, and new salespeople with no experience of The Printing Department had been drafted in.

The source claimed Liley had “overcapitalised in new kit for the number of sales staff”, though conceded “he was probably trying to do the right thing”.

AMWU organiser Tony Hennessy told ProPrint that there appear to have been issues relating to salespeople departing the company, leaving The Printing Department to pay “exorbitant amounts of money to new people”.

Becker said that following the fall into administration, The Printing Department would now employ around 25 people.

Hennessy said: “It would be a great thing if people could keep their jobs.”

Michael Liley could not be contacted for comment.

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