The Leicester-based finisher will install the machine, which has been supplied by a company in the USA, next week.

It is the fourth stitching line installed at the plant, which houses more than 60 machines; it is capable of handling run lengths anywhere from 500 to 1m copies.

Managing director Jamie Court told PrintWeek that the stitching line was bought to meet increased demand from its customers.

He added: "It is a new machine with several major bespoke modifications; it will be used for small format stitched and die-cut booklets."

The company already has two lines that fold, stitch, trim and die-cut in one pass, which are used for large volume work, but according to operations director Alan Pickles: "There is a lot of demand for small run work and it makes sense for us to invest further in this area."

"Last year we imported a stitching line from the USA and adapted to it handle the small sizes that we specialise in," he added.

"The new machine is being bought from the same source and these are the only ones of their kind is the UK. Traditionally, small-run undersize booklets have to be hand stitched and guillotined, making the process very expensive.

"The automated features of our new machines allow us to price this work very competitively and we can pass on the cost savings to our customers."

Clinical's investment follows the installation of two Z-fold bespoke binding lines and a glued booklet line in 2011. Court said that the next investment the £2m-turnover 35-staff business was looking at was large-format folding.