The Uniform Commander comes in 1.8m, 2.5m and 3.2m widths and prices range from 65,000 to 98,000. It will also be available on a monthly payment package starting at 1,500 for a five-year finance deal.

According to B&P Lightbrigade the market for UV-cured flatbeds costing 150,000-200,000 is "dead" as customers hold off from installing new kit until machines using the faster and higher quality greyscale print heads are released next year.

"People are savvy if they aren't buying to meet existing capacity requirements they won't pay," said marketing manager Marc Burnett. "Someone will pay 65,000 for a 1.8m machine now, but not 200,000."

The firm already claims a market-leading position in the UV-cured flatbed market with over 70 installations of the Zund machines.

The Commander, which produce 20m per hour, use eight Spectra printheads and can print on sheet and roll-to-roll media, including rigid sheets up to 50mm thick.

Italian firm Neolt, which has a history producing pen plotters and laminators, makes the machines.

"It's not Chinese, Korean, Far Eastern or anything shabby, it's Italian," said Burnett, adding that the firm had researched using Far Eastern hardware manufacturers before but rejected them on quality grounds.

Eight machines have been installed across mainland Europe so far by Neolt following two years in development.

B&P is hoping that the machine will be a springboard to further global success if Neolt allows it to sell the machine worldwide under the Uniform brand.

B&P Lightbrigade's exports have been growing steadily and the firm estimates it exports 100,000 worth of wide-format products per month.

It has recently formed Uniform India as a joint venture with a firm in Bangalore to exploit that country's burgeoning market.

Story by Barney Cox