DESPATCH
Welcome to October’s e-newsletter
You might have thought things had gone quiet, but the ACPME Board of Directors has been working hard over the summer – and we’re coming back with a BANG!
This is the first E-Newsletter in a while, and we’re excited to share what we’ve been planning since we last met at the Conference in June. We’ve listened carefully to feedback from our members and sponsors, and in this edition, you’ll hear about our strategy to strengthen the resilience of the association, our brand-new Members Forum, and some exciting upcoming events to add to your diary.
The year ahead is shaping up to be full of activity, with Regional Meetings and Special Interest Groups taking place across the UK.
It’s also time to start thinking about your Award submissions! We’re currently revamping the categories to ensure there’s something for everyone to enter – details will be shared very soon.
Michelle Barraclough, ACPME Chair
NEW FACES ON YOUR ACPME BOARD
Five new faces have joined the ACPME Board.
Each brings fresh energy, interests and specialisms from a wide range of backgrounds.
Here’s a bit about each of them. Contact details for all your Board members are on the Your Board page.
JON GEDDES
Treasurer – Lancaster University
As Senior Designer at Lancaster University Jon is currently acting up overseeing our wide range of Creative and Print Services.
When not designing Jon can usually be found out on his bike or watching a film with a glass of red.
SAM HOLT
Heart of Yorkshire Education Group
Sam oversees Creative & Print services at the Heart of Yorkshire Education Group (a group of three FE Colleges based in West and North Yorkshire).
Outside of work, Sam enjoys walking and camping around Yorkshire and the UK, and has recently joined the local running club.
KAT KEAY
University of Plymouth
Kat heads up student recruitment and creative services and has been responsible for bringing in-house print back to the University of Plymouth where she is a champion of in-house teams and collaboration.
Outside of work, Kat enjoys exploring the beauty of Dartmoor where she is lucky enough to live and has a passion for cars and F1.
JAMES MURRAY
University of Glasgow
James is responsible for providing graphic design support to the Adam Smith Business School with all visual content through a variety of media. His work includes taking photographs of new academics and professional staff, students, and events to support the website and school promotions.
Away from daily chores, he’s married with two children and a proud granda to his gorgeous granddaughter. Alas James’s dreams of playing football at Hampden are all but over!, so he goes to watch football instead.
JAMIE OLDFIELD
University of South Wales
Jamie is the Team Lead for Print and Design Services at the University of South Wales. He began his career as a Print Apprentice and has now been with the University for 28 years.
Outside of work, Jamie enjoys spending time with family and friends, tending to his allotment, and watching sport – often accompanied by a well-earned drink.
ACPME STRATEGY
The ACPME brings together internal service teams from HE and FE to share best practice, drive innovation, and elevate the strategic value of in-house operations. However, as you know, our membership has been declining in recent years — making change not only important but essential.
Our vision is to Build a Bigger, Better Future. We are widening our appeal by creating a broader, cross-industry community for professionals working in in-house creative, print, and communication services. This includes expanding our reach to internal service teams from government, charities, and not-for-profit organisations.
Through discussions with organisations such as the IPIA and The Printing Charity, we know there are many UK in-plant operations that don’t fit neatly into associations aimed at wholly commercial enterprises. ACPME is ideally placed to fill that gap.
Read our Strategy Proposal
How we’ll achieve success
- Exhibit at The Print Show – September 2025
- In collaboration with our Elite Partners, host Regional Meetings across the UK
- Exhibit at the College Marketing Network Conference – February 2026
- Explore collaboration opportunities with professional organisations such as the IPIA
A key part of this strategy is our annual conference, which has been rebranded as the “In-house Creative & Print Conference, organised by the ACPME.” We want to attract as many internal service teams as possible from across sectors — and we are confident that once they see the benefits of ACPME, and experience the ACPME family, they’ll want to join.
Too long have we stayed in our safe space. Now is the time to get out there.
Throughout the year, we’ll be engaging with members and new audiences through exciting opportunities, including:
- A Special Interest Group on Developing Your In-house Creative Team at Loughborough University – confirmed for 4 November.
- Training events currently in development for Wide Format and Photography & Videography
Watch out for our upcoming events in the Events Calendar — they are not to be missed!
YOUR NEW SUPER-RESOURCE
Welcome to the ACPME Online Forum!
We’re excited to introduce a new way for ACPME members to connect, share ideas, and collaborate: the ACPME Online Forum, powered by Discourse.
For years, we’ve relied on JISCMail, the UK’s national academic mailing list service, to share updates and foster discussion. JISCMail has been a trusted tool for over two decades, supporting more than 9,000 lists and 1.3 million subscribers across education and research. It’s simple and email-based, which made it easy to adopt in its time. However, as our needs have evolved, so must our tools.
Why Move Beyond JISCMail?
JISCMail is great for basic email discussions, but it has limitations:
- Hard to search: Finding old conversations or resources can be frustrating.
- Linear threads: Discussions often become cluttered and hard to follow.
- Limited engagement tools: No easy way to highlight solutions or organise topics.
That’s where Discourse comes in — a modern, open-source platform designed for structured, searchable, and engaging conversations.
Why Discourse for our forum and knowledge sharing Is the Future
Discourse is one of the most popular forum platforms worldwide, powering over 22,000 communities and holding a 4.9% share of the global forum software market. It’s widely adopted because it combines the best of forums and email, with features that make collaboration easier and knowledge more accessible.
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Organised Discussions
Conversations are grouped into categories and tags, so you can easily find what matters to you. -
Powerful Search
Quickly locate past discussions, resources, and answers with advanced search tools. -
Subscribe to What Matters
Follow specific topics or categories and get notifications your way. -
Email-Friendly
Prefer email? You can reply to posts directly from your inbox—just like JISCMail—but with the added benefit of a structured, searchable archive. -
Mobile Ready
Access the forum anytime, anywhere, on any device. -
Engaging Features
Like posts, mention colleagues with @username, and mark solutions to highlight the best answers.
Getting Started: Your Step-by-Step Guide
We’ve made joining easy using the invite feature. Here’s what to do:
1. Accept Your Invitation
You’ll receive an email invite from the ACPME Forum. Click the link to join and set up your account.
2. Set Up Your Profile
- Add your name and photo so members can recognize you.
- Write a short bio—what’s your role, what are your interests?
3. Explore Categories
The forum is organised into categories (e.g., Events, Best Practices, Technical Tips).
- Click a category to see all related discussions.
- Use tags for more specific topics.
4. Subscribe to Topics and Categories
- Click the bell icon on any category or topic to choose how often you want updates:
- Watching: Get notified of every new post.
- Tracking: Get notified when someone mentions you or replies to your post.
- Muted: No notifications for that topic.
5. Join the Conversation
- Click Reply to add your thoughts.
- Use @username to mention someone.
- Add links, images, or files to make your post more useful.
6. Prefer Email?
- You can reply to posts directly from your inbox—just like JISCMail.
- You can also start new topics by email (details will be in your welcome email).
7. Adjust Your Notifications
- Click your profile picture → Preferences → Notifications.
- Choose how often you get emails (immediately, daily summary, or weekly).
8. Use the Search Bar
Looking for something? Use the search bar at the top to find past discussions, resources, or answers
Why This Matters
Unlike email lists, Discourse creates a living knowledge base. Every discussion is archived, searchable, and easy to revisit. This means:
- No more digging through old emails.
- Answers and resources remain accessible for everyone, including new members.
- We build a shared, evolving repository of expertise.
Ready to join the conversation?
2025–26 ANNUAL BENCHMARKING
This year’s Annual Benchmarking has been split into two parts:
- Part I: About Your Service
Open from 1 October – 31 December 2025 - Part II: About Activity and Pricing
Open from 1 December 2025 – 28 February 2026
At the start of each section, you’ll find a checklist of the information required. Each survey should take around 20–30 minutes to complete.
Help us, to help yourself
It’s vital that as many members take part as possible, as the more responses we receive, the more valuable the results will be for everyone. So, grab yourself a drink, set aside a little time, and help us make this year’s benchmarking the most insightful yet.
Thank you in advance for your contribution!
Calling All Creatives: Save the Date – 4 Nov 2025
We’re excited to invite you to a Special Interest Group meeting focused on Developing Your In-House Creative Team, taking place at Loughborough University.
Date: Tuesday, 4 November 2025
Time: 10:00 – 16:00
Location: Loughborough University, Leicestershire LE11 3TU
This full-day event will bring together creative professionals to explore how in-house teams can thrive, adapt, and innovate. Expect a mix of inspiring talks, practical sessions, and collaborative activities.
Highlights include:
- From Branding to Breakdown Vans: A Creative Journey with RAC
A keynote from RAC’s Creative Director on leading one of the UK’s most iconic brands, balancing heritage with innovation, and embracing digital transformation. - Pitch it on a Post-It
A high-energy creative sprint led by Ian Bates (Creative Partner, Firehaus), where teams go from brief to pitch in 60 minutes—perfect for sharpening ideation and presentation skills. - Designing for Impact: Optimising Creative for Digital Channels
A session packed with insights and best practices for designing effectively across digital platforms, with a focus on innovation and audience engagement.
We’d love for you to join us.
More details will follow once we get an idea on numbers.
Best wishes, Ali
Read about the previous Creative SIG at Loughborough University here
The 2025 event is kindly sponsored by Canon.
THE 2026 CONFERENCE
The highlight of the ACPME Calendar
The Creative & Print Conference, organised by ACPME, will be held in Glasgow from 31 May to 2 June 2026 at the Westerwood Hotel.
This event will include the 2026 ACPME Creative + Print Awards. Don’t miss your chance to grab some of the limelight – showcasing your team’s amazing work and effort.
Do you want to see a particular supplier at Conference?
Please send them this link to the Exhibition and Sponsorship leaflet and explain why they should be there. The more the merrier.
We’d love you to give a member-led presentation
We all know that members love to hear from each other.
We need you to come forward and share your story.
Please email admin@acpme.ac.uk if you’d be prepared to speak.
OLI REFLECTS ON THE PRINT SHOW 2025
Print Show 2025 ACPME
Report from the show floor – from Oli Renshaw
Sam and I headed down Tuesday and Wednesday as guests of Konica Minolta. This year’s show was combined with the signage event – a good decision because on their own either one would have been a bit of a damp squib. Together, it kept things interesting with an increase in exhibitors from last year.
First impressions: some big names were missing. Ricoh, Canon, Premier and Xerox all sat this one out. Fuji, though, went big – massive stand, house DJ, and partnered with Soyang for large format.
Epson had a comprehensive range of toys, and Sam and I spent a good chunk of time with them. They’ve already committed to backing us next year, which is a nice result. On top of that, we’ve lined up a meeting with NEUPC (North Eastern Universities Purchasing Consortium), which could open some useful doors into the non-member university print rooms.
Mark and Terry from Fiery in attendance on the Epson stand, again keen to support the association as they promoted their RIP solutions and other applications.
Konica kept things simple with one machine on show – the new AccurioPress C14010s. Big, blue and grey, now with white toner. Not overly flashy, but a solid bit of kit, and they shifted at least four during the show. As their guests, we had a corner of the stand – although our ACPME banner lasted all of ten minutes before being politely pulled for being off-brand. Fair play, lesson learned: next time we’ll make sure we match the wallpaper.
We then waited patiently for the hordes of university in-plants to descend…
Find out more
To discuss membership, sponsorship opportunities or annual conference please contact
Jennie Mort, ACPME Administrator: 01527 893675 | admin@acpme.ac.uk
Contact address: Seven Elms, Dark Lane, Astwood Bank, Redditch, Worcestershire B96 6HB
Or feel free to contact members of our Board
Details here
The Association of Creative and Print Managers in Education, a not for profit private company, limited by guarantee. Registered in England and Wales No. 10244428. Registered address: Seven Elms, Dark Lane, Astwood Bank, Redditch, Worcestershire B96 6HB