The Wakefield-based group will end outsourcing of litho print when it installs the five-colour KBA Rapida 162 in the summer, alongside a raft of existing screen and digital kit.

Bezier chief executive Mark Shaw said that the company currently outsources around £6m of litho print every year.
That will be brought in-house, while the press will have capacity for around £6m more work on top of that.

Shaw’s decision comes after he decided to drop previous plans to buy a company with a turnover of around £15m, which already had large-format litho capability.

It is understood that Bezier investigated acquiring a firm in London, where it does not as yet have a base.

He said: “Acquisitions are always higher risk, and sometimes higher reward. We have a number of accounts that require large-format litho work… but the key for us is to get the extra capacity.”

However, Shaw said that the decision to buy an A0 format press, rather than the super-wide Rapida 205 or MAN Roland 900, had been based on the lower cost and installation time for the smaller machine. He added: “The greatest majority, maybe 95-96% of what we do, will fit down to a 162.”

Private equity-owned Bezier is looking to expand to a turnover of £200m by 2009.

Last year, it bought £8m-turnover advertising and marketing agency Poulters, based in Leeds, and Pointer, a £15m-turnover firm that specialises in the design and manufacture of point-of-sale material.