Transpromo, the fusion of transactional and promotional messages on items such as invoices, is a burgeoning market, which according to Buhrs UK's managing director John Ricketts, has not yet been embraced.

Ricketts said that not only is transpromo more effective, it is also more environmentally friendly and is applicable to a whole host of sectors outside the traditional markets of utilities and financials.

He said: "From a practical printing side, the take-up of transpromo has been slower than might have been expected because companies soon become aware of the cost implications."

Ricketts claimed that advocates of transpromo believe that in order to be effective, messaging needs colour. Colour is generally more expensive than black and white printing, which is used for most transactional mail, and therefore investment in software to manage the data is essential.

However, he added that despite these hurdles, transpromo represents a significant opportunity for the market with the right kit on hand.

"Anyone investing in hardware should consider lines which can insert C6/DL to B4 materials, prove reliable at high speed and insert both transpromo and marketing material in the same envelope he said."