The direct mail firm said it had been gaining momentum to attack the digital and four-colour personalised mail market, developing in-house expertise through its database management company Celerity.

"We have chosen our timing very carefully to invest a significant amount of money in digital technology that we now feel is mature enough to support the kind of work we want to do [is] to turn digital back into what it was originally sold as," said managing director Luke Pigott. "It is good for short-run print jobs, but also for analytics; driving clients' understanding of who their customers are."

Pigott said Howard Hunt now has enough data and analytic expertise in place to take full advantage of the potential of digital printing.

The firm will take delivery of Europe's only NexPress 2500, after its debut at Ipex.

The company's 2m investment also includes an upgradeable NexPress 2100, which will be replaced with a second 2500 when one becomes available.

The firm will continue to print large-scale direct mail on its four 16pp, six-colour web presses and B1 sheetfed.