The 526 HXX was supplied by Apex Digital Graphics and will sit alongside the firms existing four-colour Ryobi. The new press includes semi-automatic plate changing and automatic ink roller cleaning devices.

Our customers are asking for more special colours, metallic inks and coatings and we need to put that on one side of the sheet in a single pass, said All Colours Printers managing director Chris Naylor.

He added that the new equipment has made the company 25% more productive and that he expects turnover to increase to 1.3m due to the new press.

Our run lengths generally tend to dictate that we are better positioned in the B3 market, although we have already produced runs in excess of 2m on the new machine, said Naylor.