The Cheadle, Cheshire-based business has installed the UV inkjet wide-format printer as part of an aggressive investment programme, which means the company now has10 HP machines.

According to Paul Whitehurst, director at Cestrian Imaging, the commercial launch of the TJ8550 proved to be "the right machine at the right time" for the 75-staff business.

He said: "We've seen HP's machines progress over the years and this latest model offers a combination of speed, resolution and vibrant colours.

"We've been winning new business but we also needed extra capacity and this offers us just that."

The advent of the 480sqm-an-hour TJ8550 has enabled display printer Cestrian to carry out on-the-fly variable data work for clients, including those in the retail sector.

The company can receive files at 3pm and print personalised jobs on to a range of substrates before being sent out from its 6,690sqm facility at 6pm the same day.

Whitehurst said: "For our retail clients, speed and turnaround times are critical. They expect the highest possible quality output, however late in the day the files arrive, so the TJ8550 seemed ideal for us.

"Add to that the ease of producing true variable data printing and it makes for a compelling proposition."

Cestrian's latest investment arrives little less than a year after it installed the UK's first Agfa's M-Press Tiger, which it has since described as "the best machine it has ever bought".