Incumbent Quebecor World is pitching hard to keep the titles, all printed web offset at its Corby plant with the exception of the text pages for You, printed gravure in France.

The Associated work makes up more than 50% of its 87m UK turnover. The current contract ends in May 2005.

"It's all in discussion at present and we are talking to Associated," said sales and marketing director Angus Jurkschat who added that Quebecor and Associated were speaking at "the very highest levels".

Titles currently printed by Quebecor include the Mail on Sunday's You and Night & Day, Weekend for the Saturday edition of the Mail, and ES magazine for the London Evening Standard. The portfolio involves the production of more than 400m magazines per annum.

"The big question is, do Associated want gravure? These are classic gravure titles and there will be an economic advantage to going gravure too," said a source close to the deal.

Polestar is known to be gunning for the titles, and a number of continental gravure printers are also in the frame. Gruner + Jahr and Roto Smeets are already gravure printing weekly magazine supplements for UK newspaper publishers.