"The M-Press has the ability to print variable data onto each and every sheet - this would provide real synergy with our small format variable data print operation in Brighton," said chairman Roger Birkin. "Imagine a retailer sending out a personalised direct mail, email or SMS message to their shoppers whilst in-store the shopper being greeted with regionalised or versioned point-of-sale material? This is not future gazing, this is now!"

To produce personalised print the company has opted for Agfa's Apogee Vibe software, which enables variable data elements to be incorporated into a supplied static PDF and is claimed to ensure pre-press processing and ripping are as efficient as possible.

The M-Press Tiger was installed at the firm's digital print site in Howden, East Yorkshire where it joins an Inca Onset and two Inca Columbia Turbos. The business also believes its speed and substrate flexibility will complement its screen print division in Leeds.

"We're making great strides into markets that require high-quality, large-format display such as point of sale, event management, store interiors and outdoor advertising," said Birkin. "Clients are increasingly demanding higher frequencies of small print runs at very high quality and we believe the M-Press is ideal to deliver all these at competitive prices."

The press was supplied by Thieme KPX and is the third M-Press Tiger in the UK, previous installations were at Cestrian in the north west and SMP in Woolwich, south east London, which was the beta site for the original M-Press.