Each volume consists of 1,000pp and weighs around two kilograms. The project cost Oxford University Press 30m to compile.

B&T produced the single-colour title on a KBA 162 2x2 perfector. Finishing work was done on equipment including a Kolbus Compact 2000.

"One of the biggest challenges was to keep the 60 volumes separate and the 2x2 proved to be useful for the production process," said B&T marketing director Tim Taylor.

The DNB contains more than 50,000 biographies of men and women who have influenced British history. Work began on the project 12 years ago and each set of 60 volumes costs 7,500.

"We are existing suppliers to Oxford University Press and we won the contract as we had the ability to handle a project of that scale," added Taylor.

Other suppliers on the project included Alliance Phototypesetters, which began keying in text in 1997, and Alliance Graphics, which began scanning in the first halftone in 2001. Interactive Sciences completed page proofs in May 2003 and the first volumes were produced in January (PrintWeek, 29 January).

"We are delighted to have produced this project," said B&T group operations director Kevin Sarney. "DNB is one of the 21st century's great reference works and to think that it will still be referred to in 100 years' time is incredible."

The set contains 50,113 articles, 10,057 images, covers 3.6 metres of shelf space and contains the biographies of 54,922 people.

Story Philip Chadwick