It opted for the iGen3 successor to boost its print capacity in the face of a growing migration of jobs from litho to digital.

Xerox's iGen4 will enable the Fordingbridge company to print on heavier stocks, as well as uncoated substrates.

According to Graham Collins, director at James Byrne, the amount of digital work the company produces will increase by up to 30% in the next 12 months.

He said: "It is more important than ever that our business model is aligned to cope with the increased volumes of short-run work the company is receiving. 

"We chose the Xerox iGen4 to maintain the quality for which our business is renowned, so that customers can continue to rely on us during these turbulent times."

With the new press, James Byrne can print on stocks up to 350gsm and directly onto uncoated stocks – a service that has attracted new work, according to Collins.

The increased production capabilities of the machine will also drive the level of variable data work the 18-staff company prints for clients in the direct mail and agency market. 

"With the iGen4, we also now have the option of developing a variable data solution which will help us remain flexible in meeting increased levels of customer demand," he said.

The latest press will complement a kit set-up that includes Xerox DocuColor 8000s, Heidelberg litho presses and a Presstek 52DI press.

James Byrne was established 25 years ago and prints high-quality documents such as manuals, business cards and self-adhesive labels. It has an annual turnover of £1.3m.

Peter Taylor, director of production and graphic arts at Xerox UK, said: "The investment in print technology and workflow are two areas of improvement that the UK print industry is evaluating in order to deliver increased value to end-users."