The Basildon, Essex-based firm took delivery of the 2.5x1.3m machine, which prints onto materials including Correx, Foamex, Dibond and vinyls, in December. It was supplied by Rayleigh, Essex-based Repro Sales & Repairs and cost £38,000.

Kaps Finishing director Jack Thompson, who co-owns the business with his mother, managing director Stephanie Thompson, told Printweek: “All of our customers are litho printers and we noticed that none of them do in-house large-format work.

“They're doing work for their own clients, who will want one point of contact for their print, whether it be a 12-page brochure, a one-piece mailer or a roller banner.

“And we were finding that our clients were all outsourcing the wide-format work because they can't do it themselves.”

Thompson added the machine, which will be used for applications including roller banners and exhibition stands, “opens up a whole new market for us” but he stressed that the business would never step on its clients' toes by installing a litho press or a digital printer.

“If we put something in that would remotely compete with our clients, they would pull their work away, so that's not an option,” he said.

The company's finishing services include B1 die-cutting, B2 laminating, remoist gluing, tipping on, wire-binding, shrinkwrapping, drilling and hand finishing.

Operating from 557sqm premises, it employs nine staff and turns over £600,000 and Thompson is hopeful that this investment will add around £70,000 to £100,000 on top of that.