He leaves wife Olwen Knight and three children Charles, who works at web printer York Mailing, Simone and Tracey.

Knight worked for Heidelberg from 1975 until retirement in 1994, initially as Southern division manager before spending his final two years at the company as Southern division director.

Former Heidelberg UK managing director Wolfgang Gorth said: "In his work he was greatly respected and extremely good. His secret was that he knew his subject - printing and the Heidelberg press - and he loved people, both his customers and the people who worked for him.

"But he was also very competitive. You gave him a challenge and he would pick it up and run with it. He and former sales director Dennis Durham formed a great and successful team until John retired to Spain."

Current managing director George Clarke added: "John knew his craft from the bottom up, having been a printing apprentice and a plate maker before switching to sales on the supplier side.

"He was old-school but creative in the way he put deals together to enable printers to buy a Heidelberg which they could otherwise not afford. Socially he was always good company."

Donations in memory of John Knight are in aid of The Alzheimer's Charity. The site can be linked to from here.