Installation of the new wide-format equipment, which was supplied by Robert Horne, began three weeks ago. According to the company, the investments will increase capacity, while allowing the company to react quicker to customer demand.

Hadleigh Lomasney, director of L&S’s digital division, said the large-format spend will offer a "huge benefit" in a growing sector.

"B2 litho margins are still being squeezed by overcapacity and phoenix companies certainly don’t help. We have always strived to offer something above and beyond our competitors," said Lomasney.

The 75-staff company also expects the recent spend to enable it to respond to a shift in print purchasing as new buyers bring with them fresh expectations and ideas into the industry.

Although L&S runs a stable of five litho presses, including a 10-colour B1 Heidelberg press, the Worthing, west Sussex-based printer has witnessed "continual, steady growth" in its digital print department, which, in part, led to the investment.

"After much research, we chose the Vutek, as it offered the combination of a 3.2m roll-fed option, as well as the flexibility of the flatbed for printing on almost any material up to 50mm thick," said Lomasney.

He added that the addition of the Zünd cutter was the "final part of the jigsaw".

"We have been blown away by the speed, options and flexibility that it has brought to the mix. We have so much throughput that the two machines had to work hand in hand," he said.

Both of the company's new investments will be connected to its Kodak Prinergy workflow, something that dovetails neatly with its web-to-print and HP Indigo setup.

"We are big fans of Kodak here and its online software solutions have enabled us to manage the variation and versioning of jobs with ease," Lomasney said.

L&S Printing serves a range of clients and sectors, including point-of-sale, fine art auction catalogues, personalised digital projects and general commercial work.