According to Xerox vice-president of engineering services and customisation Brendan Casey, Xerox decided to fast track installations of the DTO printer after there was far more interest than expected at the trade show.

The price of the machine is listed at $145,000 (£109,000) but varies on configuration and extra options purchased.

Casey said: “With something this new, we didn’t know what to expect. We obviously had high hopes but what we are seeing is easily better than we thought. We expected just a handful of machines this year to go out, but are now gearing up to installing many more than that.”

The machine uses small stainless steel nozzles, contained in printheads, to spray ink on 3D objects.

It can print up to 30 objects per hour at resolutions of 300-1,200dpi. Its speed can be increased for industrial applications.

It can be configured with up to 10 ink channels and Xerox said it supports most speciality inks, including UV.

Casey put down the increased sales to the DTO's ability to satisfy a number of customer requirements.

He said: “I think what really caught people’s eyes depends on what perspective you are coming from. From the retail side, the idea of having a machine in a person's store that can personalise things is a big deal for them, it can actually bring people into the store. Being able to come in and personalise gets people coming back.

"We’ve also seen an interest in commercial print and that’s come from two aspects. One is that some people aren’t printing on objects now and want to get involved and then there are people who are already doing personalised printing but they outsource; they needed an opportunity to bring personalisation in-house.”

Casey added that the machine is also proving popular with events organisers.

Xerox also used Drupa to launch its Brenva HD Production Inkjet Press and revealed the press's first buyers during the show.