Volumes rose by 4.6% to 1.42bn from April to June, compared to the same period in 2002, according to the latest figures from the Direct Mail Information Service (DMIS)

Spend was also up 3.4% to 545.3m this quarter, split by 55% (300.6m) for production and 45% (244.7m) for postage costs.

However, Steven Hudson, group services director of The Lettershop Group in Leeds, believed printers would barely feel the increase. The biggest players have no more than 4-5% share, so a few percent growth spread across the market doesnt show hugely.

Although Hudson said the market was slightly ahead in terms of volume this year, it was way behind when it came to pricing.

DMIS also found that consumer direct mail in general rose by nearly 10% to 1.06bn for the period, while business mailings fell by 8% to 361.72m.

DMIS managing director Jo Howard-Brown said: The increase in consumer direct mail only goes to underline the fact that the consumer is spending more and more money through the medium, and advertisers are clearly seeing a return on investment.