The machine is expected to be installed at the Belfast-headquartered firm's new 2,462sqm plant in Runcorn, North West England at the end of January 2017 and commercially running by March.

Managing director Peter Bradley said the firm can cut a day off its delivery time with the LE-UV press, which generates dry sheets that can be immediately finished, and a further day by having a factory in England.

This means the firm moves from two or three day service levels to same or next day turnarounds.

Bradley said: “We can now offer uncoated stocks with quick turnarounds. It's very competitive out there so we have to look at what we can do better. It's all about speed of service.”

Bradley and Quinn's production director Kieran McMurrough finalised the deal at Drupa after a six month investigation that involved talks with many suppliers and printers about the other UV options available.

“In Belfast we have Heidelberg and have had Komori equipment and we did also look at KBA but we would never again buy a press without Inpress Control,” said McMurrough.

Bradley added: “We do a lot of makereadies because we do short-runs. We can do up to 40 different jobs in a shift so if you're doing 30 or 40 makereadies per shift then the most effective way to do this is with Inpress Control.”

The firm said a saving of 100 to 150 sheets per makeready has saved it £70,000 a year on its two Speedmaster B1 XLs - an eight-colour and five-colour – that are already equipped with the Inpress Control inline spectral device. The firm has also specified Autoplate Pro plate-changing on the new LE-UV press.

“The automation of the Speedmaster XL 106 evens out the skills in the pressroom and is critical to efficiency,” said Bradley.

“That is also why 99% of work is finished in-house. It provides control and minimises time waste.”

The business, which currently has 65 staff and a turnover of £7m, produces items including stationery, leaflets, flyers, posters, postcards, booklets and banners for printers, designers and print management companies.

30 staff will initially be employed at the firm's new Runcorn premises, rising to about 50 within the first six months.