The machine is being installed at the Crawley, West Sussex-based firm’s premises this month, and the company also installed a varioPrint i300 last month to support data-driven direct mail and transactional daily mail streams.

The first Canon investments for DMS, the company said it has partnered with the manufacturer due to the need for increased reliability and to cover a combination of transactional, direct mail and high quality coated commercial applications.

The business, which also operates a raft of web fed and sheetfed offset litho equipment, serves clients in several markets including utility, retail and financial sectors.

It has experienced recent growth in mailing services, in particular ‘just-in-time’ mailing, and required machinery that could provide high quality, productivity and cost efficiency, while also allowing the flexibility to work across several markets.

DMS said it was impressed by the varioPrint iX3200’s ability to print onto a wide range of media from 60-350gsm offset uncoated, matt coated, silk and gloss without a reduction in productivity.

This machine will enable it to supply the growing number of marketing agencies that are looking to print onto non-standard stock sizes.

In a statement, DMS managing director Simon Smode said: “By installing both machines, we will benefit from their individual strengths. These new devices fit perfectly with the wide range of applications we run at DMS.

“I am very excited about what the iX3200 will bring to the business, from its exceptional quality, to the flexibility of migrating small and medium litho print runs. We are also very impressed by the environmental credentials of both Canon devices.”

He added the iX3200 would provide the business with “the quality we need to stand out in the marketplace”.

“Many of our customers now expect print of the highest quality and at competitive prices. Our new devices will ensure we give our customers greater customisation and scope for creativity to achieve their goals.”

Separately, over the summer, DMS acquired some of the assets of its sister company DCL Print in a pre-pack sale after the latter, which was a supplier to DMS, suffered a significant loss of trade as a result of the pandemic and appointed administrators.

The two companies, which shared the same Crawley factory and had common directors, were separate legal entities and trade transactional and business forms printer DCL Print's 21 staff transferred to DMS under TUPE in July. DCL Print's nine-staff Wotton-under-Edge operation was not part of the deal and closed.

The sale was reviewed by the Pre Pack Pool, which said it did not find anything in the proposal it deemed as unreasonable.