‘It’s a vocation’: Hull’s ‘Print Meister’ Carl celebrates 30 years of Scribes

‘I THINK PEOPLE ARE PROUD TO WORK HERE’: Carl Morton, with wife Sally

By Simon Bristow

When you’re young and have a good job at an established company, it takes guts and vision to spot a gap in the market and set up on your own.

But that’s what Carl Morton did when he saw the digital revolution coming while working at Hull firm Claughton Office Equipment, which he joined as an apprentice, became a service engineer and then moved into sales.

If any vindication was needed, the company Carl set up – Scribes Digital Print Ltd – has just celebrated its 30th year in business, having become a leader in its field and shipping daily to a growing and loyal customer base across the UK and Ireland.

Not only is Scribes one of Hull’s most successful independent companies, but such is Carl’s impact and standing in the industry that he has been dubbed “Print Meister” in an Alternative Heritage blue plaque attached to an exterior wall of the firm’s new base at the appropriately named Pioneer Park, off Clough Road.

WHERE IT ALL STARTED: The company’s former home in Newland Avenue

The plaque also commemorates the company’s move from its original location in Newland Avenue. The business outgrew that site and moved to its 6,000 sq ft premises in 2018, where Carl and wife Sally now lead a team of seven full-time staff.

It’s been quite a journey from humble beginnings, which began with Carl offering simple but vital services to Hull’s sizeable student population.

Carl said: “I could see the age of digital coming and that it was going to take over and I saw the gap. Students in Hull didn’t have computers; they had no way of reproducing paperwork and they couldn’t afford print, so I was like an auxiliary service for them. They wanted their dissertations binding, or two copies of their work, and that’s how it all started.

“We found when those students graduated they went on to work all over the country and they remembered us, and that’s how we grew over the years and to have customers all over the UK.”

LOCAL TREASURE: The Alternative Heritage blue plaque outside Scribes

Early in his career, Carl was mentored by Charlie Tock, who had worked in the industry since the 1960s and who went on to become a great friend.

When Carl was asked to produce business cards, it was Charlie he turned to for help. “I rang Charlie and he said ‘I’m more retired now, just doing a bit from my garage’,” Carl said. “I asked him to teach me and he was happy to. He taught me every single process and we became great friends.”

When Charlie died in 2018, Scribes inevitably produced the memorial service booklets, and Carl carried his coffin at his funeral. “He was a lovely man. I miss him,” said Carl, 50.

Big public and private sector organisations are among Scribes’ customers, including ABP, BP, Humberside Police, and the local NHS.

Scribes now provides a bewildering array of print services, from business cards to greetings cards, postcards, certificates, hardback bound books, menus, calendars, promotional gifts, signage, and recently has also moved into workwear and leisure wear.

STATE OF THE ART: Inside Scribes at its new home in Pioneer Park

“It’s a bit like the Amazon principle – selling everything and getting it to you the next day,” said Carl. “Same day, next day – that’s our business. Thirty years ago, jobs were taking four weeks, now we’ve got them down to an hour.”

Sally, 44, has just been diagnosed with breast cancer and has been raising awareness and funds for Breast Cancer UK. She describes the Scribes team as “one big family”.

Carl said: “Everybody gets stuck in. When you’ve got that big job on everybody gets stuck in, but I think everybody is proud to work here. I think if you just want a job then it’s not for you, but if you’re passionate about it then it could be the job for you.

“We are constantly expanding and trying to move with the times. The product range is constantly evolving.”