The Sutton-Coldfield company installed the UV-curable inkjet printer earlier this month and anticipates it will make it six times more productive.

Supplied by CMYUK Digital, the £500,000 investment was helped by a £99,000 grant for business investment by regional development agency Advantage West Midlands.

The 14-staff printer secured the grant with the idea that it will safeguard jobs as a result with an extra seven to 10 staff expected to be employed over the next few years.

Richard Clift, grants case officer at Advantage West Midlands, said: "The Grant for Business Investment was essential in bringing the project to fruition and it is fantastic that it is being used to help expand one of the region’s value added, specialist small firms."

Andesign's 3.2m EFI Vutek GS3200 can handle both roll-to-roll and flatbed stocks with a maximum output speed of 223sqm an hour. It complements an existing six-colour EFI Vutek PressVu and Zünd flat-bed table.

Andy Williams, managing director of Andesign, said the new investment would help the company stay ahead at a time "when lots of people are standing still".

He added: "Growing our business in line with the technology which was available was a natural progression for us.

"We are familiar with all the different inkjet formulations and also have experience with thermal transfer. Handling colour accurately and knowing the best way to reproduce it onto a variety of different materials has evolved through many years of experience."