Gary Peeling, managing director of Precision Printing and Dscoop chairman elect, described the combination of B2 digital printing and Scodix digital effects as "fascinating" adding that the company would use it to add value to direct mail and packaging applications.

The Barking-based printer, which runs an array of Heidelberg litho and HP Indigo digital presses, was the UK beta site for the HP Indigo 10000 B2 digital press and Peeling admitted that it had taken longer for him to see the benefit of the Scodix technology.

"We were aware of the technology right from the very beginning but if I'm honest we didn't appreciate the full potential for the application," said Peeling. "It isn't about adding spot varnish, it's about being able to create unlimited digital texture to printed products as well as very engaging foil and embossed effects.

"What we're finding with clients when they choose print is that they're looking to stand out; print is in essence now a stand-out medium and anything that makes printing more tantalising and engaging and adds that 'wow' factor really fits with what customers are asking us for and Scodix, particularly when combined with the Indigo 10000 sheet size, offers us all sorts of interesting possibilities."

Peeling added: "The machine has the ability to build texture in any number of levels on a single sheet. It can add gloss or matt highlights and that opens up lots of opportunities.

"One of the things I love about this product is it can't exist in a digital or virtual space. It is all about the physical and that is what printing is about. Its ability to replicate metallic foils and embossed [finishes] digitally without the need for a block or die will address a pent-up demand for metallic finishes in the short-run arena."

Precision's Scodix S75, supplied by UK distributor Conversion, is the 100th digital enhancement press to be sold by the Israel-based manufacturer; Precision also becomes the third UK printer to invest in the technology after RCS and 1st Byte.