The Ringwood, Hampshire-based business opted for the 925 five-colour model, supplied by Apex Digital Graphics, to replace an existing B2 press.

The 130-year-old printer produces auction catalogues for a range of national and international businesses spanning 75 locations across the world.

According to Tim Beech, joint managing director at Pardy & Son, the new investment comes as a result of increasing maintenance costs of its previous press, along with a need to cut the level of work it outsources.

He said: "This second factor alone was justification for the new machine, but coupled with the age of our existing B2 press, and the SRA1 format on offer from the Ryobi machine, we could see potential productivity benefits.

"We did look at a range of possible machines, but Apex and the Ryobi 920 had some very persuasive arguments, particularly when it came to sheet size."