ADMINISTRATORS have been called in for a second East Lancashire printing firm in just over four months.

Nelson-based Printoff Graphic Arts is the latest outfit in the industry to encounter serious trading difficulties.

Insolvency experts Leonard Curtis have been appointed to manage the affairs of the Lomeshaye Business Park company, which operated various printing services and had a subsidiary Made for Education, which makes school exercise books, planners and prospectuses.

Earlier this year Calderprint, which traded at the Bradwood Works at Dunnockshaw, near Burnley, shut its doors, with the loss of 89 jobs.

Back in 2016, when the company was the subject of a management buyout, Printoff had just under 50 staff.

Thirty-two were located in Nelson and a further 18 or so at their Concept4 agency in London. Turnover then was £3.5million for the group.

Company founder Alan Buck, on his retirement, had sold the venture to a team led by his son, technology director Alex Buck, with managing director Jane Cleaver and finance boss Jason Tomlinson.

Investments were made at that time in web-to-print services which had begun to prove popular with customers.

Richard Stuart-Turner, news editor of industry magazine Print Week, said: "Printing specifically has been facing a number of challenges, with overcapacity, and a number of larger companies downsizing, though it is difficult to say what may have happened in this particular case."

No accounts have been filed for Printoff this year - they were due on August 30. But their recorded assets for 2017, the last full set of figures, was £762,383, up from £733,174 a year before. PrintOff and the administrators were unavailable for comment last night.