Printer Concept Digital has fused with long-term partner and direct marketing and data processing specialist Concept DataPrint to create 19-staff Concept Communications Group (CCG).

The Bishop's Stortford-based company is hunting work from "hard-pressed marketing departments" in sectors with a "very targeted customer base", such as automotive, telecommunications and leisure businesses.

CCG director Paul Hale, who had been director of Concept DataPrint, said the merger was "as close to ideal as ideal gets", aligning the "strength of data processing and marketing with the expertise of digital printing".

Hale added: "We're not alone. There are a few others that can do this as well as us, but not many." He said the number of firms seeking to capitalise on the growing market posed a "danger", but stressed his firm's experience put it out front.

Business development executive Kate O'Neill said: "We're trying to put our mast in the wind and say we come to the market with experience on the digital side."

She added: "We're trying to offer hard-pressed marketing departments a full solution without getting overcomplicated and over-expensive."

The company said there had been no redundancies and that it planned to increase its sales and design teams.

O'Neill said: "We want to progress the company over the next three to four years to raise our profile and be recognised within digitally printed variable data. We want to be positioned with the Loriens and Tangents."

The £1.5m-turnover firm is led by Hale and fellow directors Peter O'Neill and Giles Bowes, both originally from Concept Digital's management team.

CCG offers a "complete service" from "concept to fulfilment", with seven-colour digital production thanks to its pair of HP Indigos, a 3050 and a 5000. Personalisation comes via Printable Technologies' FusionPro and HP Indigo Yours Truly Designer.

O'Neill also stressed the firm's green credentials, combining the "cleanliness of digital print with the lack of wastage of targeted direct mail". CCG holds FSC accreditation and Hale claimed ISO 14001 recognition was "all done bar the writing on the ticket".