The investment, which follows a Speedmaster XL 105 purchase last year, has enabled the company to move into the packaging market, leading to the recruitment of an additional two employees at the 110-staff business.

Managing director Stephen Whitley said: "We always like to get ourselves into niche areas. We are well-known for producing quality greetings cards. Things like embossing, which we use extensively, transfer over to the packaging sector well.

"We will be going after the added-value, high-priced products, like the cosmetics sector. This machine has certainly opened doors for us."

To back the move into packaging, £6m-turnover Herbert Walker has recruited a senior salesman from the packaging market, as well as bringing in an experienced folder gluer operator to run the Diana.

The Diana Pro runs at 650m per minute and can handle a broad range of products and materials. As well as packaging and greetings cards, it can also handle CD covers and direct mail work.

Shipley-based Herbert Walker said it was likely to continue its investment drive later this year, with a Bobst die-cutter next on
the agenda.