IT is now five years since Jason Miller left his secure but uninspiring office job to branch out into the dangerous world of self-employment and found his own printing business.

Like virtually everyone else setting out, he has found it has been a hard slog.

But Jason has an additional handicap to overcome, for he suffers from cerebral palsy.

Yet it will come to no surprise to the many people who know him around the town that he shrugs aside his handicap and greets every new challenge with a cheerful demeanour.

He was a past winner of Craven College's top award, their student of the year, and he then took a City and Guilds course at Leeds College of Technology. Again his devotion to his studies earned him plaudits as he obtained his qualifications in reprographics techniques and came second in a student of the year competition organised by the printing world's trade paper, Print Week.

To pass the course, students need to complete 14 modules. It will come as little surprise who know Jason from the past that his grit and enthusiasm did not let him stop at the bare minimum. He completed 19 modules and was awarded a distinction for his practical project.

Mr Miller's business empire is run from a print shop in a converted garage behind his home in Burnside Avenue, Skipton.

Mr Miller recognises the biggest threat to his continued success is the rise in desktop publishing technology. The days when a printer would do any small job for a company are fast disappearing as computers can run off perfectly acceptable copies in the office.

Instead, like other printers, he is left to compete for the larger scale jobs, runs of 100 or so upwards.

No-one should be put off by the unconventional surroundings, for Jason is an unconventional businessman. For a start he's the salesman, press, guillotine and Mac operator, delivery and accounts man handling every stage of the job from inception to completion.

His disability might put some off, but they would be wrong. Regular customers such as Landis Lund, Laycocks Fuels and Craven Clinic have been with him from day one and must be satisfied as they keep coming back.

He hopes to move eventually on to a purpose built site but, as he admits, these are difficult times in the printing world.

"I'd like to move eventually but I have to be sure the time is right," said Jason, who is proud of the fact that he set up with his own money and a business loan from the Printers Youth Business Trust, which he repaid promptly.

l Jason Miller and Jaymill Print can be contacted on 01756-794628.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.