The Wickford, Essex-based company also installed a PrintBind short-run binder, a DigiFold and a Major Folder from Morgana, along with a new Konica Minolta Bizhub 6501.

The StitchLiner features fully-automated makereadies and works from flat four-page sections. It runs at speeds of 5,500bph, has an icon-based LCD touchscreen and job memory storage. 

According to production director and shareholder Gavin Milton, the finishing installations have given the company more control over its work.

He said: "Bringing more things in-house has made us a lot more economical. We can go in a little cheaper now because we aren't using an external finisher.

"If we get given a ridiculous turnaround time, we can just lift another job off in order to slip a new one in – you can't do that if the work is going out."

Milton believes that keeping more work in-house will also make customers take his business more seriously.

He added: "I definitely think that if you only put ink on paper, if you can't finish in-house, you are frowned upon. Virtually all the work we handle now we can finish ourselves."

The family owned company said it was gearing up to increase its fast turnaround booklet work.

It deals predominantly with national and local governments, as well as the pharmaceutical and charity sectors.