The Tunbridge Wells, Kent-based company has invested around £3m in total in the new press and the 1,850sqm freehold unit that is based around five minutes’ walk from its main 3,250sqm leased premises.

Offering litho, digital and large-format print, direct mail, design and storage and distribution services, Fox serves clients in sectors including travel, retail, utilities and automotive.

Managing director Kevin Stanton said the 75-staff business, which he established in 2001, has seen “extensive growth” since it acquired litho specialist Mastercolour in 2016.

“They had five KBAs when we purchased them and we had two Heidelberg presses, but we’ve gone down from seven to two since – we put a new Speedmaster XL 106 five-colour with coater in last year which is so efficient it’s unbelievable.

“But litho is getting harder and there’s not as much demand around it. Digital, though, has massively increased. Our sales have grown from £6m just prior to the Mastercolour acquisition to what will be £13m this year.

“We’re absolutely flat out at the moment and October and November are going to be massive months for us.”

Capable of speeds up to 4,600sph, the Indigo 12000 will join an existing Indigo 5600, which has been kept on, as well as the XL 106, a single retained KBA Rapida 75 from Mastercolour, an HP Latex large-format printer and a full fleet of finishing kit.

“The 12000 takes a B2 sheet, which opens avenues for larger pagination work and makes us more flexible. We can also do a lot more variable data on there for longer-run work and it will take shorter-run work off our litho press, which is needed,” said Stanton.

“We also do a lot of one-piece mailers – it’s a real growth market for us. This machine will be able to produce documents up to B2 with variable data printing and then we’ve got a Moll machine that can make up those one-piece mailers.”