According to managing director Richard Caslon, whose family has run the company for over 300 years, Ipex proved a real growth point for the business in to Europe.

He said: "We have been moving into Europe for about two years and we didn't know what to expect from Ipex, but it was a huge springboard for us.

"We had a storming summer and autumn. Our card cutters and foiling systems are doing extremely well in Europe at the moment and we are setting up dealers to build on that."

Business has also improved in its letterpress division, which recorded a 2,000% increase in business year-on-year in 2010.

Caslon added: "People seem to be fed up with the tonered image, saying it isn't proper print. We get people buying the machines for a hobby, some don't like the look that fast turnaround machines produce, others love the look of letterpress print or prefer something that isn't output by pushing a button."