The deal, expected by the end of the week, will create additional capacity at the four-press plant. The press is due to be installed next March, with commissioning to start in June 2005.

Polestar said Colchester had been awarded several contracts from Haymarket, Quantum, Archant and other companies, and that there were a lot of new contracts coming on stream across the group.

This year the Colchester plant has won contracts to print titles including GP for Haymarket Publishing, Public for Guardian Media Group and Sussex Life for Archant.