The South Wales-based company is running the Bitjet+ in conjunction with its Sitma W1150-0 automatic wrapping machine for printing addresses on magazine packages.

The Domino Bitjet can print at speeds up to 15m per second and at resolutions of up to 170dpi, producing variable data addresses and postage indicia.

Stephens & George is using the technology, which can print text as well as bitmap graphics, barcodes and 2D codes including QR, on around 400 magazine titles.

Marcus Partridge, group bindery manager at Stephens & George, said the quality of print, as well as the company's capacity, had benefited from the recent installation.

"From a capacity perspective, it’s in a different league; prior to the Bitjet+, we had the means to handle around 6,000 packages an hour, but can now manage 18,000," he said.

The 220-staff Merthyr Tydfil-based company has also cut its print and mailing costs with the Bitjet+ investment by being able to print directly on the white band present on magazine packaging. Previously, it printed each address on to a pre-printed sheet.

"We realised that in order to maintain our market position and reputation, we would have to sharpen our offering and invest in more innovative equipment," Partridge added.