The announcement comes just 18 months after the catalogue printing specialist bought the then ailing operation from owner Ian Cooper.

Ernst & Young has been appointed to handle the sale and according to Pindar chairman Andrew Pindar, it is in early discussions with a number of potential trade buyers although no deal has been secured.

In a statement, the firm said that "Pindar believes that Cooper Clegg can be a profitable business, but the current market conditions in publishing and the long-term investment required to remain competitive, mean limited returns for shareholders."

Andrew Pindar cited "unsustainable pricing" in the sector as one of the key drivers for wanting to exit magazine printing, which is non-core to its primary catalogue business.

According to the firm, Cooper Clegg, which posted a turnover of £40m and pre-tax profit of £1.5m in 2007, would fit better "with an organisation which has a larger presence in the publishing market or a publisher looking for a guaranteed supply chain".

The deal comes hot on the heels of Pindar's sale of its Pinder Set business to Yell in July.

For more on Pindar's sale of Cooper Clegg, see this Friday's edition of PrintWeek.