The Newcastle-based digital print firm will install the press in January.

PPD managing director Chris Bell said he looked at a wide range of alternatives at Drupa, including the Xerox iGen3 and KBA Karat. "The TruePress really stood out, and made good sense on a cost basis," he said.

Bell added that the TruePress would join two Xerox 6060s at its Newcastle base, with almost 20% of the firm's work being transferred to the new press.

PPD specialises in medium-run large-format work, including indoor and outdoor exhibition work, for a mixture of printer and design agency clients.

The TruePress 344 is a second-generation model to the 544, which was launched at Drupa 2000.

Capable of printing 7,000 A3-plus sheets per hour, on stocks up to 300gsm, the four-colour digital press can produce a 500-sheet single-side job in less than 15 minutes. PPD has 10 employees, with a turnover of just over 1.1m.

Multisets was originally set to get the first TruePress 344 in UK, but the Swindon firm has yet to place a firm order.

Story by Andy Scott