The private printing market first developed in Estonia with the establishment of cooperatives in 1987. As with other areas of industry, printing was short on cash, suffered from being behind the times technologically and lacked the people it needed with the latest training. It was between 1991 and 1993 that printing houses came into their own, and it was during this period that Uniprint emerged.
Freer economic development after Estonia regained its independence not only brought with it sweeping changes, but also greater demand for a wider range of printed material. For printers whose hands were full with newspapers and magazines, clients wanting to order company stationery and business cards proved something of an inconvenience – but also a niche in the market that was soon spotted by Sirje and Andrus Reinsoo, the founders and directors of Uniprint.
Full of enthusiasm though they were, the couple lacked the start-up they needed. However, acquaintances they had made in Estonia and abroad through previous printing work had themselves formed contacts, and this led them to a Finn who sold used printing presses. As one of the things the Reinsoos were able to do at the time was produce wooden toy dachshunds on wheels, they came to an agreement with the Finn that they would take the printing machinery off his hands – as it was no longer of any use in Finland in any case – in return for producing the wooden dogs in Estonia. And thus their gulf-spanning quid pro quo arrangement took off.
The orders they received for printing and toy dogs alike were official, and making sure they were able to meet their deadlines often meant days spent working the printing press and nights sanding their dachshunds.
It has been a good few years now since the machines at Uniprint put the final touches to their last wooden dogs. The company’s growing pains are a thing of the past, and they are able to invest in the latest printing technology from the revenue generated by their main line of work.
Dachshund’s Tale
The private printing market first developed in Estonia with the establishment of cooperatives in 1987. As with other areas of industry, printing was short on cash, suffered from being behind the times technologically and lacked the people it needed with the latest training. It was between 1991 and 1993 that printing houses came into their own, and it was during this period that Uniprint emerged.
Freer economic development after Estonia regained its independence not only brought with it sweeping changes, but also greater demand for a wider range of printed material. For printers whose hands were full with newspapers and magazines, clients wanting to order company stationery and business cards proved something of an inconvenience – but also a niche in the market that was soon spotted by Sirje and Andrus Reinsoo, the founders and directors of Uniprint.
Full of enthusiasm though they were, the couple lacked the start-up they needed. However, acquaintances they had made in Estonia and abroad through previous printing work had themselves formed contacts, and this led them to a Finn who sold used printing presses. As one of the things the Reinsoos were able to do at the time was produce wooden toy dachshunds on wheels, they came to an agreement with the Finn that they would take the printing machinery off his hands – as it was no longer of any use in Finland in any case – in return for producing the wooden dogs in Estonia. And thus their gulf-spanning quid pro quo arrangement took off.
The orders they received for printing and toy dogs alike were official, and making sure they were able to meet their deadlines often meant days spent working the printing press and nights sanding their dachshunds.
It has been a good few years now since the machines at Uniprint put the final touches to their last wooden dogs. The company’s growing pains are a thing of the past, and they are able to invest in the latest printing technology from the revenue generated by their main line of work.