2000AD delayed for a week after printers go into administration

By John Freeman on 28 August 2026 • ( 0 )

Rebellion have announced this coming week’s issue of 2000AD, Prog 2498, will be delayed getting to shelves by one week.

Precision Colour Printing, the long-running company that prints both 2000AD and Judge Dredd Megazine has gone into administration and publisher Rebellion has had to secure new printers.

“This has been sudden and we have been working around the clock to rectify the situation,” say Rebellion. “Digital subscriptions will remain unaffected.

“We apologise for this unfortunate outcome – our loyal readership is the bedrock of 2000AD and we deeply regret the inconvenience of this unexpected disruption.

“We want to reassure you that the supply of Thrill-power will be resumed and steps taken to bring us back onto our normal schedule as soon as possible.”

2000AD’s printer, Telford based Precision Colour Printing, which prints magazines, catalogues and brochures, called in administrators this week, putting at least 150 jobs at risk.

Financial services firm Alvarez & Marsal is now looking after affairs at the company as they explore options for the business including new ownership.

Local paper The Shropshire Star reports the company, which runs runs three web presses, has reportedly failed to deliver products to customers and presses have stopped, the trade title Printweek noting presses had been running intermittently.

Printweek also reported a new owner took over at PCP in March this year, the printer’s third change of ownership within 24 months – and that there have been some rapid management changes since.

Longtime customers such as music magazine The Wire and Mendip Times, a community magazine based in Somerset with a 15,500 copy print run and The English Bridge Union, have, like Rebellion, had to move production to rival printing companies.

Printers taking on new clients include Acorn Web Offset, Stephens & George, Walstead Group, William Gibbons and Warners Midlands.

The PCP website notes children’s magazine publisher Kennedy as one of their clients, whose titles include titles such as Barbie, Cocomelon, and Top of the Pops. Kennedy and PCP announced their publishing deal in 2024.

Creature & Co. are publisher of Nat Geo Kids and Nat Geo Little Kids Magazine

Award-winning publisher Creature & Co., publisher of Nat Geo Kids and Nat Geo Little Kids Magazine, was also a client, and the printer also printed titles such as The Guardian Food Quarterly, In and Around Shropshire Magazine, English Heritage’s Members Magazine and Kids Rule.

The problems for PCP come in stark contrast to the optimism of the company earlier this year, when it announced the acquisition of new equipment site as part of “continued investment in quality, efficiency, and capability”.

Trouble has clearly been brewing for a while after PCP began to run out of paper, and was reportedly behind on payments to suppliers.

One PCP client told Printweek, “One minute they were printing and then they weren’t. They can’t get transport, it’s a complete shambles.”

According to PCP’s most recently filed accounts for the year 2024, the company employed 186 staff and it posted a revenue of £27.9 million, a drop of £3.6 million on 2023.

Staff morale seems to have begun to founder earlier this year.

“In the early days PCP was a wonderful place to work real family atmosphere but over the years this has changed and now it’s a shadow of its former self,” said one anonymous employee late last year. “Admittedly COVID did the industry no favours and with the drop in work so has the work force but also the moral and willing has just died. Everyone just seems to be going through the motions with no care or attention and the few that are still trying get no support and eventually give up as well.”

Earlier this year, Telford Live reported Precision Colour Printing Limited was named and shamed by the Government for failing to pay their staff the legal minimum wage. The company had failed to pay £3,796.48 to 14 workers.

Thanks to Lew Stringer for the heads up

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John Freeman

John is the founder of downthetubes, launched in 1998. He is a comics and magazine editor, writer, and Press Officer for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He also runs Crucible Comic Press.

Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine and Overkill for Marvel UK, Babylon 5 Magazine, Star Trek Magazine, and its successor, Star Trek Explorer, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics; and has edited several comic collections and graphic novels, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”, and Hancock: The Lad Himself, by Stephen Walsh and Keith Page.

He’s the writer of comics such as Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs”, with Dave Hailwood.