our ethos
We concentrate on consistently producing dynamic and effective creative work that is great value for money. Our clients think that our friendliness, open attitude and infectious enthusiasm really add to the final success of their projects. We are imbued with natural common sense and have a practical approach to our work (no pretentious designer-lovies in sight).
our relationships
We are happiest when our clients are really happy, and we thrive on producing the very best creative work for them. They trust us and our expertise, and we feel privileged to be part of their extended team – this is reflected throughout all our work. We really care about what we do and it shows.
Testament to our commitment to getting it right and really caring about our work are the longstanding relationships with have with our clients. Many of our clients have been working with us for over 10 years, including the AA, Cambridge University Press, BPP, Pearson UK and Argos. Some of these relationships are even more long standing and have passed the 18 year mark!
our studio
Our studios are purpose built to provide the perfect working environment to ensure our team have all they need to produce exceptional designs for our clients. We always acquire the latest state-of-the-art equipment and software to enable our designers to be at their most creative. In order to give full rein to their imagination we have a massive choice of several thousand typefaces, libraries of stock and commissioned photography, and an extensive range of illustrators and photographers for more specific commissions.
We design and layout using the Adobe Suite of programs, including Indesign, Photoshop, Illustrator, Dreamweaver & Flash. We can also produce your work in QuarkXpress if needed. As rapid transmission of pdf proofs is increasingly important in today's hectic working enviroment, we offer a dedicated high bandwidth fibre-optic broadband connection. We also have colour-calibrated digital printers to provide accurate hard copy proofing. One of our latest developments is a client-focused web portal, where you can track the full history of every project you have with us and use it as an access point to upload and comment on your most recent pdfs, store images or leave feedback – freeing up your email space.
our history
We started from a tiny acorn of an idea, when Peter, now our MD decided to break away from the printing industry he was so familiar with and turn instead to production. Pentacor was born on the 13 June 1986, conceived in a spare room and consisting of two people working on old-fashioned coding machines to produce typeset bromide sheets. A few years later as the company grew, Peter made the leap into the unknown by focusing on the new desktop publishing software, and the company grew from this.
Now in our fourth location and twenty fourth year, totalling almost twenty staff, we have changed and expanded throughout the years to offer the total design and production package we offer today throughout all media. What hasn't changed though, is our mindset, as a group of people who love what we do and really enjoy working together. We have an open book, open door policy and work on a flat line management system (no little "you are here" boxes on job descriptions here). We actively encourage ideas and initiative from all our staff, and it is a policy that reaps us rewards in the long term. Who knows where we'll be in another twenty four years!