The Edinburgh-based arm of the printing franchise decided to move into digital offset, following a move to new premises last summer.

The company has placed a focus on its litho operation, which was failing to prove cost-effective, while at the same time, outsourcing its short-run work, which added to the outgoings of the business.

Richard Dinnes, principal of the Edinburgh branch of the UK Minuteman Group, said, "We were spending a lot of time on unprofitable copying because the student footfall was high in the city centre.

"We realised that three-, four-, and five-colour, short- to medium-run work was more profitable, but we were not equipped to do it in-house. Consequently, we had to outsource it and struggled to remain competitive," he added.

The company has experienced a significant reduction in the time it takes to complete its four-colour work, a job that would have previously taken up to four days.

"We can take on urgent jobs, slot them into our production schedule and turn them round very quickly," Dinnes said.

The Edinburgh group, which specialises in graphic design and envelope printing, is now anticipating growth in its four-colour operation.

"Our ambition is to introduce a second shift to have the DI press in production 16 hours a day," he added.