Leicester-based Flexpress paid “in excess of £1m” for purchase and installation of the press, according to managing director Steve Wenlock.

The press was installed last month and replaced a four-year-old Indigo 5600. It will be used to fulfil jobs such as landscape A4 booklets, six-page A4s and document folders. It was supplied directly by HP.

“We felt the Indigo offered multiple advantages such as auto duplexing, thicker and more varied substrates and improved performance,” said Wenlock. “Plus, of course, we are pretty familiar with the technology and the company.

“We’re expecting significant growth from within the trade sector but to achieve this, we’ve got to be able to offer products and services that fulfil market needs and still be competitively priced. There is clearly a demand for digital B2, yet it’s still relatively uncommon so we’re hoping to fill the gap.

“Flexpress is always changing but this latest acquisition represents the start of a major new push forward that will hopefully see us win some new trade clients and more work from our existing ones.”

The Indigo 12000 can print up to 4,600 colour B2-format sheets per hour and supports seven-colour printing with true spot colours. It prints a maximum image resolution of 812dpi.

It joins a wide portfolio at the printer’s 930sqm premises, including Ryobi LED UV presses, a Canon Océ Arizona and 61200, an HP Latex press, and an AMS envelope printer. Its finishing capabilities include folding, creasing, cutting, foiling, embossing, and spot-gloss embellishment.

On track to turn over £2.5m this year, the firm employs 23 members of staff and plans to add four more to the team across 2018. Flexpress Trade will be promoting its services to potential customers next month when making its PrintWeekLive! debut.