Its spend includes the UK book market's first KBA Rapida 130a large-format perfector, a Screen Ultima 16000 VLF platesetter and a Heidelberg Stahlfolder 112 with high-speed feeder.

"I'm hoping it'll be 35% more efficient," said managing director Allan Hicks. "You can produce plates almost as quickly [as B1] but you can print and fold twice as much."

The Trowbridge, Wiltshire-based firm's two-colour 130a-2-SW1 will run alongside three two-colour and one four-colour Heidelberg Speedmaster 102s. The 965x1,300mm format press, which runs at 12,000sph perfecting, replaces a two-colour 102 and will produce 64pp "book work" sections in one pass, compared to 32pp on the 102.

Earlier this year Cromwell formed what it described as the UK's first "print co-operative" when it tied up with book printer Arrowsmith.