The £21m-turnover business has opted for a B1 six-colour Rapida 106 with coater, a machine that complements an eight-colour KBA Rapida 106UV installed last year.

MSO's latest press purchase continues a capex programme that commenced in 2009 and while chief executive Dominic Walsh admitted that the market was still "flat", he felt it was right to invest.

"We are in a good position for future growth and, as such, we aim to achieve ROI within four years," he added.

According to Walsh, the decision to opt for the KBA came down to its array of features, such as its fully automated plate changing and DriveTronic SIS infeed system that helps eliminate manual intervention – all of which allow the company to respond to short-run market demands.

He said: "We have had to adapt our business model to allow us to achieve profit on short runs as well as the more traditional long runs.

"The KBA’s ability to easily switch from job to job through fast makereadies and with little waste means we can achieve this without compromising the high print quality that our blue-chip customers demand."