A man looking for new ways to invigorate his printing business seems to have struck gold following inspiration he took from the natural world, according to a new report from across the Atlantic Ocean.

Jeff Barrett of Newark, Ohio created Rolling Hills Reprographics in 1990 and became an expert printer for the area producing printed envelopes, business cards, labels and more. However, the Newark Advocate reported that the recession took a chunk out of his earnings, and so the entrepreneur was forced to consider alternative means of attracting custom.

Mr Barrett remembered back to 1992, when he was handed a business card that was printed on card that looked like wood. But instead of simply doing the same, he decided to take it one step further and actually print on the material.

Now, he’s rolled out the wooden printing initiative to much more; he now creates gift tags, coasters, wine tags, labels, graduation announcements and artistic prints.

Originally, the expert started printing on veneer using raw oak. However, he found the material to be too brittle, meaning the products could break relatively easily. Now, he uses cherry and maple wood to give a little more flexibility.

He said: “It’s different. There aren’t very many people out there doing this. [E]veryone I’ve given business cards to really think it’s neat.”