The 310 replaces a Mutoh ValueJet 1204, which Significant founder Tony Styles said had “served them well” after seven years with the South London-based two-staff outfit.

The Latex was installed last week and was supplied by digital display supplier Spandex.

Styles said: “It was clear the Mutoh was giving up the ghost; it was getting more and more tired and the printheads were slowly on their way out. 

“I did the usual searches and then came across the Latex. We have used Spandex before, they have always supplied our materials and been pretty good to us over the years, so we had a demo in Nottingham and made the decision to buy.

“It has already been a learning curve – this week has been better than last week. With the Mutoh you could throw anything at it, whereas this one is a bit more specific.”

The 1.4m-wide 310 prints at up to 48sqm/hr in two-pass billboard mode at full 1,200dpi resolution and prints on a variety of different media, including banners, self-adhesive vinyls, films, fabrics, papers, wall coverings, canvas, synthetics, mesh and textiles.

Styles said it was purchased in part to get jobs out quicker as the inks are instantly curable. He said the £120,000-turnover company will be mainly looking to move into the schools and healthcare sector, especially considering the machine’s “green credentials”.

“It also prints faster, although I am really one for quality," he said.

"I like to see a really sharp image. We have probably been printing it on a higher specification than it needs to be but it gives fantastic print when you print on it like that."

Significant has been certified by the British Standards Institution (BSI) for the manufacturing of traffic signs, which accounts for around half of its work. 

It was founded 18 years ago when Styles and his partner left their roles as signmakers for Lambeth Council. It also runs a Summa cutter and a plotter.

Last month, Spandex added two new ImagePerfect films to its Easy-to-Use range.