The 14-staff company anticipates the new press will help the business prove to be more versatile in short- to medium-run work.

Levenmouth Printers, complete with an off-press control system, replaces a four-colour Ryobi at the Fife-based printer.

Craig Lumsden, joint-owner of Levenmouth Printers, said: "There's no denying that the YK524 has a relatively low cost, and the deal looked great on paper."

He added: "We realised we could buy new instead of buying a secondhand machine which was three- or four-years-old."

The new Sanxin complements a raft of Ryobi two- and single-colour machines at the company's 650sqm site.

Lumsden said: "The Sanxin YK524 is now our frontline machine which we will use for the highest quality jobs.

"The paper travel from the vacuum feed onwards is good. The quality of Sanxin's engineering is high; it's obviously a well built and durable machine."

Lumsden also praised the machine's operator-friendliness: "We thought training would take a few days, but we were up and running in a couple of hours."

He added: "The automated plate changes and wash-ups save time and effort during makeready, and they are easy features to use."

Levenmouth Printers produces for a diverse range of customers both in the local area and throughout Scotland. It has a comprehensive design, print and finishing capability.

The company has seen a 20% rise in annual turnover over the past three years.