UK In-plant Association to Get New Name
With its annual conference approaching in Glasgow, Scotland, on May 31, the Association of Creative and Print Managers in Education (ACPME), a UK-based network for in-house print, media, creative, and mailing operations, has voted to rename itself the In-house Creative & Print Alliance (ICPA). The new name is designed to better reflect the breadth of its membership and ambitions for growth.
Originally called the University Print Managers’ Group, ACPME traces its first conference back to 1997, underscoring nearly three decades of convening in-plants to share ideas and raise the profile of internal service providers. ACPME has partnered with the U.S.-based Association of College and University Printers (ACUP+) for many years, with representatives attending each other's conferences. Last year, ACUP+ President Tammy Elliott, director of Print Services at The University of the South, spoke at ACPME's conference in Cheshire, England.
By renaming itself the In-house Creative & Print Alliance, the association hopes to be seen as more inclusive and welcoming to in-house creative and print teams across all sectors, while better representing the diversity of work carried out by internal providers.
The University of Leeds Print and Mail Service team members and visiting vendors stand with some of the in-plant’s equipment. From left: Paul Dexter, Wendy Hogg, Scott Fleming, Lee Mchugh, Mark Phillips, and Ollie Renshaw.
“In house creative and print teams across every sector are facing similar pressures – automation, sustainability, skills, and proving strategic value,” says ACPME vice-chair Ollie Renshaw, manager of the Print and Mail Service at the University of Leeds. “Becoming ICPA allows us to support a much wider professional community while continuing to champion our education members.”
ICPA was set to formally launch this month as a cross-industry network for in-house leaders in print, media, creative, and mailing operations. The alliance brings together internal service teams from corporations, universities, government, and nonprofits to share best practices, drive innovation, and elevate the strategic value of in-plant operations — offering peer collaboration, industry insights, benchmarking, and professional development.
In advance of the group’s conference, it has partnered with Konica Minolta Business Solutions (UK) on a two-day event called Print-Ed 2026, according to Printweek. It will welcome in-house print and creative leaders to Konica Minolta’s Client Engagement Centre in Houghton Regis. Print-Ed will encompass peer-led learning, technology insight, and sector-wide collaboration, with Web-to-print being a key topic. The event will feature roundtables, hands-on demonstrations, and practical roundtable discussions on workflow automation, sustainability, creative integration, and the evolving role of in-house print rooms.
“In house print teams are transforming rapidly, and they need spaces to learn from each other and explore new possibilities,” says Glyn Williams, PP & IP channel manager – private and public sector at Konica Minolta. “We’re proud to host Print-Ed 2026 and to support ACPME as it becomes ICPA – an evolution that reflects the growing importance of in-house production across all industries.”
Bob has served as editor of In-plant Impressions since October of 1994. Prior to that he served for three years as managing editor of Printing Impressions, a commercial printing publication. Mr. Neubauer is very active in the U.S. in-plant industry. He attends all the major in-plant conferences and has visited 200 in-plant operations around the world. He has given presentations to numerous in-plant groups in the U.S., Canada and Australia, including the Association of College and University Printers and the In-plant Printing and Mailing Association. He also coordinates the annual In-Print contest, co-sponsored by IPMA and In-plant Impressions.
