Thomson, which employs around 300 staff, is headquarted in East Kilbride, Glasgow, and was founded by the late former Motherwell FC captain Matt Thomson. It claims to be Scotland's oldest independently owned printing company.

The family-owned business also has a manufacturing presence in the Czech Republic and has worked with £50m-turnover GZ, which specialises in CD, DVD and vinyl replication, in a partnership agreement since 2003.

According to Vince Whittet, director at Thomson Litho, both businesses "felt that now is the right time to bring the two companies together" in a bid to capitalise on the synergies between both firms.

"It is our belief that both companies can take advantage of our mutual strengths and build a solid future for both Thomson Litho and GZ," he added.

Whittet added that it was too early to discuss how the merger would affect the two businesses. However, according to local media reports, GZ Digital Media is set to make 19 staff redundant at the East Kilbride site.

For the year ending 30 June 2009, Thomson's turnover was down nearly £5m on the previous year to £14m. The company cited the "global economic downturn" for the drop in sales.