The installation of its third eight-colour Heidelberg will allow the Enfield, north London-based company to print around 240 titles, while handling work more efficiently, at a time where there is "pressure on lower margins," according to chairman Anthony Stokes.

The company has installed the secondhand press off the back of a "difficult" 2009 in which sales at the business dropped from £5.7m to £5.2m.

Stokes said the business had always expected the past year to be difficult following a good 2008. However, he said the cuts carried out in overheads and wages early in the year, along with some redundancies, "culminated in making the company far more efficient".

He added that the measures proved to have been an "essential requirement for 2010 with continuing pressure on margins along with slower than normal sales growth".

MPC, which also runs a five-colour Heidelberg Speedmaster, specialises in niche, short-run titles in runs on average of 7,000.