Northern Print is looking at buying an Epson large-format press and a laser cutter but has not decided on specific models. It has already bought an Epson Stylus Photo R2000 A3 printer.

The studio in Newcastle’s Ouseburn Valley specialises in original printmaking and works with schoolchildren, students, community groups and artists across the North East.

Most of the money came from Arts Council England’s capital fund and Biffa Award, which gives grants to community and environmental projects across the UK.

Studio print manager Helen Donley said the grant would help Northern Print increase digital capabilities to complement existing technologies such as screen printing, monoprint and acquatint.

It also has an Albion printing press from 1897 for printing woodblocks, a 40-year-old Rochat etching press and smaller equipment.

“Most of the modern kit goes hand in hand with traditional equipment, so people make their prints and laser cut into them. Combining technologies will help broaden people's print skills,” she said.

Northern Print director Anna Wilkinson said the group needed more space and printmaking equipment such as the large-format digital printer and laser cutter.

The first stage of building work has been completed to accommodate a growing archive of prints including that of Birgit Skiöld, a prominent modernist Swedish printmaker, who died in 1982.

Biffa Award programme manager Gillian French said: “This project is an example of how the Landfill Communities Fund (LCF) can improve public access to important cultural facilities.”

The LCF is a tax credit scheme enabling waste management companies such as Biffa Group to contribute money to benefit community and environmental projects near landfill sites.

Since the scheme started in 1996, more than £1.3bn has been spent on more than 51,000 projects across the UK.