It is the first acquisition of the Slough-based signage consumables specialist and is expected to boost its total sales by around 50% to £9m.

Included in the deal were the company's assets, including its client database as well as nine former Andersons staff, taking All Print Supplies' total headcount to 37.

It is understood that Andersons will continue to operate as a separate sales operation, using its Rotherham sales office and demonstration suite. However, the warehousing and logistics of the two companies will be integrated for greater efficiency.

"Our aim has been to become the largest consumables supplier to the UK sign and digital market," said All Print Supplies managing director Kevin Wallace. "This puts us further along that road."

He added that Andersons, whose product range included MacTac vinyls for solvent printing and coloured vinyls for signage, had been a "fierce competitor" to All Print Supplies, which sells MacTac products alongside Avery and LG materials.

The Andersons business, which was worth around £3m, will help All Print Supplies to make a bigger inroad into the graphics and printing markets, Wallace said.

Meanwhile, the main equipment agencies of Andersons, Esko Graphics, Meital and WP, have been taken on by former national sales manager Stewart Bell's new operation Digital Print Innovations.

Litho Supplies, along with Andersons,  fell into administration before Christmas (22 December 2009), but was sold to a new company headed up by former shareholder and group sales director Eddie Williams on 30 December.

Subsidiary GAE also went into administration on 5 January, but has now also been sold, to Horizon Print Finishing Equipment.