The division promises to offer printers "stepping stones" to growth in the digital sector.

Marketing manager Marc Burnett said: "There's this perception in the market that we're competing with the people we're selling printers to. That couldn't be further from the case."

The Chertsey, Surrey-based company says that the decision to rebrand its trade printing service came out of the success of its "try before you buy" policy.

Burnett said: "Our whole philosophy is about selling someone a printer, then they use our trade service and build their business up to the next level without having to go out and buy a 300,000 system.

"Every stage that the printer gets to, we're there able to put in the next level of equipment and from the printer's perspective, it's tried and tested equipment because it's what we've been producing for them on."

Tradebrigade will be the first site to install the Zund 250, the new 2.5m-wide flatbed/roll-fed digital press from the Swiss manufacturer, which is distributed in the UK by B&P Light-brigade. The machine, which can print with white ink, will be installed in October.

A series of open days to show the machine are planned by the company before it becomes commercially available in January 2005.

Tradebrigade's digital arsenal includes super-wide Scitex, Vutek and Uniform ink-jet printers, flatbed Inca and Zund machines and wide-format Uniform printers.

The launch of the division has been supported by a new website, offering information on the services provided, a file-size and resolution calculator and a full guide to supplying artwork and data. The site also features a virtual factory tour.

Visit: www.tradebrigade.com

Story by Josh Brooks