The sewing machine, which cost £90,000, will significantly increase the firm’s efficiency.

The company’s staff were previously folding offline and inserting sheets by hand, before sewing them together with a semi-automatic 1955 Martini sewing machine.

Sales and marketing director Jon Sherlock said: “The new Smyth will save us hundreds and hundreds of hours per year that would have been spent on hand-folding.”

The Smyth can sew extra large sheets of up to 900x610mm. It has an automatic signature feeder and a maximum speed of 75 cycles/minute. It is equipped with four upper and four lower openings, which are activated by an electronic programmer.

The firm had the machine modified so it could handle even larger formats and it also had a purpose-built folding unit added.

Sherlock said: “We do a lot of case-bound books and needed a sewing machine that can work on large formats, such as A3 books.”

The investment was also a cost-effective move. “Until now we were using several 60-year-old machines, which were regularly needing more and more maintenance,” added Sherlock.

The kit was supplied by Perfect Bindery Solutions and is being installed over the coming weeks and will be fully operational by mid-March.

Four of the firm’s 36 production staff will be trained to use the machine.

The new Smyth machine will be additional to the 112 pieces of equipment the already houses at its 4,645sqm factory in Stockport.

Deanprint’s services include printing, trimming, sewing and binding.